


A Different Brand of Magic

by TheManicWriter



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alpha Fred Weasley, Alpha George Weasley, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - No Voldemort, Claiming Bites, Drama & Romance, Eventual Fred Weasley/OFC/George Weasley, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Smut, Gen, Knotting, No Twincest, Smut, Voldemort is dead
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-11 23:41:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 39,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29500797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheManicWriter/pseuds/TheManicWriter
Summary: My fingers slipped on my keyboard and I accidentally started writing a Harry Potter A/B/O fic.Athena is an Omega who recently started working at Hogwarts along side Hagrid in caring for magical creatures. A descendant from the original Salem witches, she has a rare, powerful, but lethal ancient form of magic inside of her. She becomes close with two red-headed and slightly annoying Alphas. She carries more secrets than her illegal and volatile type of magic from her past. Will she get to have the normal life she craves with a loving Alpha (or two)?Voldemort is dead in this fic. The Deatheaters are led by Bellatrix and the war still happens. Fred lives though...probably.
Relationships: Angelina Johnson/George Weasley, Fred Weasley/Original Female Character(s), Fred Weasley/Reader, George Weasley/Original Female Character(s), George Weasley/Reader, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Comments: 4
Kudos: 20





	1. Chapter One

The Great Hall seemed to be vibrating with excitement and nervousness from the first years who were about to get sorted. The dull roar of chatter made my heart flutter with anxiety as well. I fought to keep a handle of the thrumming magic beneath my skin. I stood at the back of the Hall beside Hagrid’s large and comforting frame, blissfully hidden from wandering eyes as everyone’s focus was either on each other or at the front where Dumbledore would soon speak.

“Is it always like this?” I glanced up at Hagrid, fiddling with the ends of my long brunette hair. I had decided it would be best to wear it down, hoping that it would help hide the dual scent marks on my neck. Suppressant potions from Professor Snape already dulled my scent, but I still had a habit of wanting to hide them. Likewise, I dawned thin sweatbands on my wrists, covering the glands there and slightly irritating the sensitive skin.

Hagrid gave me a warm smile and placing a heavy hand on her shoulder, “Sorting Ceremonies are always a bit hectic. Things will calm down once Dumbledore takes the stand, don’t you worry.”

As if his words triggered the event, the old, wise wizard stood from his chair on the platform and held up his hands, effectively quieting the room. I felt myself visibly relax as Dumbledore’s calming voice started speaking, welcoming returning students and the new first years. It was interesting to see the Sorting Hat in action as it called out different houses from atop the squirming first year’s heads. _I wonder what house I would be sorted into?_ For a moment, I tried to visualize myself as a first year, awaiting my name to be called with the only worry in my mind being if I would make friends with the students in my house.

Halfway through the sorting, I felt my gaze wander. Unsurprisingly, most students were Betas. There was a sprinkling of Alphas, though both Dumbledore and McGonagall assured me of all the safety measures in place at Hogwarts. Powerful spells encased the property, preventing Omegas and Alphas from going into heats and ruts and, in the off chance that bonding marks were made on the property, they would not take and heal like any normal wound. I couldn’t sense any Omegas in the sea of students, but I was told that there was at least one other. I zoned back into the ceremony, just as the last student was sorted.

Dumbledore’s speech began and the students hummed in excitement when he announced that Hogwarts will be hosting the Triwizard Tournament this year. I shook my head in disbelief. Even I knew how exceedingly dangerous that tournament was, no matter how many safety precautions were put in place.

Dumbledore’s gaze suddenly found mine and he gave me a smile before tacking on a few words at the end of his speech, “The beginning of this school year is marked, not only by the fresh faces of new students, but by the welcoming of a new staff member to our facility. Miss Wardwell, will you come up here to join me?”

I inwardly cringed. _Don’t let anyone perceive you as weak!_ A familiar deep voice hissed in my thoughts, plucked straight from a less than happy memory. I held my chin high as I walked down the center aisle towards Dumbledore with, what I hoped would pass as, an air of confidence. Murmurs erupted immediately as the heels of my practical black boots clicked against the floor. I was wearing a black school skirt, a plain white blouse, and a black tie with knee high boots. With my bright blue eyes trained on Dumbledore, I ignored the whispers that followed me.

“She’s an Omega.”

“How do you know?”

“I can bloody smell her, you idiot.”

“Wardwell? I heard her uncle was killed by werewolves.”

“No he wasn’t! He was offed by an Auror. The whole family had ties to Death Eaters.”

“I heard he just went missing. Up and vanished.”

I fought to keep my composer at the apparent interest that the fate of my uncle still held. It was slightly disheartening that even though I moved countries, from America to England, my past seemingly followed me. It was like a dark shadow I couldn’t shake. I was thankful when I reached Dumbledore after climbing the few stairs. He put an arm around my shoulders and his steady scent of lavender and hints of sage quickly calmed me.

“I’m delighted to present Athena Wardwell. She’s a descendent from the Salem witch bloodline and has travelled here from America to help with the groundskeeping and care for the Forbidden Forest. Despite her young age, she is an incredibly talented witch and we are lucky to have her,” Dumbledore spoke eloquently.

I jumped slightly at the round of applause that broke out when he was done, with Hagrid leading and clapping loudly. McGonagall then dismissed the students, and everyone started filing out of the room with Prefects yelling at their first years to follow them. I let out a sigh of relief.

“Bit overwhelming isn’t it?” Dumbledore asked, turning to me with kind eyes.

I nodded, “I’m still not used to seeing so many people. I spent the whole summer in an empty castle.”

“I suppose I still cannot persuade you to enroll in the school year? According to the results of your tests, you would only have to take a few classes to qualify to take the NEWTs.”

I couldn’t stop the warm smile from growing on her face at the headmaster’s concern, but still shook her head, “No, I’m sure. It’s just…not the right time for me.”

I had arrived at Hogwarts at the start of the past summer. The plan was to test where my skill level was regarding the various subjects so they could place me in the correct classes. I had been homeschooled by my uncle since I was young so no one knew exactly what I was capable of. I scored well in most of the core subjects besides potions. For reasons unknown to me, Uncle had a particular distain for potion-making, so I was only taught the very basics.

However, it was during those tests that I realized it wasn’t a good idea to become a student. A different type of magic lived in my bones and it was unpredictable at times. It seemed to react with the practicing of regular magic and it made me shy away from enrolling. I didn’t want anyone to find out about it. More than anything, I just wanted to move on with my life, to begin a new chapter and to leave my past behind me.

Dumbledore nodded, he seemed sad but not surprised. Trading goodnights with the other teachers and Hagrid, I walked to my private chambers, eager to climb into my bed and drift to sleep.

To start my new beginning.


	2. Chapter Two

When I woke up the next morning, I initially forgot that the castle was now filled with students and staff. No matter how many times I cursed my internal clock, I naturally awoke at dawn. There was no point in trying to go back to sleep, so I showered and dressed for the day. I pulled on my trusty pair of skinny jeans, momentarily lamenting that the material over my knees were worn so thin they would inevitably rip soon. I loved these pair because the denim was thick enough to protect my legs from nettles, vines, and brush, but the fit was vaguely flattering and they were so worn that they were comfortable. I tossed on a simple tank then a navy sweatshirt that had the Hogwarts logo on the front. After strapping my thigh holster for my wand on over my jeans and tucking my dark blue wand into it, I grabbed my shoulder bag and headed out.

The halls were quiet, dark, and cold, but I loved the peaceful silence that settled in the air. Trying to keep that feeling intact, I found myself walking on the balls of my feet so the heels of my boots didn’t echo in the halls. Typically, I never saw another soul in the morning, not even the ghosts were out, so when my ears picked up the sound of a hushed conversation, I faltered.

My eyes narrowed and my hand rested on the hilt of my wand as I turned the corner. My gaze fell onto a pair of redheads, crouching outside of Filch’s office with their backs to me. I took in their uniforms and my hand left my wand. _Students. What the hell are they doing up?_ Against my better judgement, my curiosity got the best of me and I walked up behind them, surprised that they still didn’t hear me.

“What the hell are you doing?” My words came out a bit more cross than I intended. I stifled a chuckle when they both nearly jumped out of their skins, trying to yell in surprise as quietly as they could. They were twins and Alphas, obviously, and were distractingly handsome. They both stood up and I stepped back, slightly surprised at how much they towered over me.

“Uh,” The one on the right started, glancing at his twin, “Just going for a…”

“...morning stroll,” The other one finished. They both smiled at me, clasping their hands behind their backs as if to convey their innocence.

I arched an eyebrow, slightly confused as to why they were acting like I was a teacher. I shook my head slightly and started to walk past them.

“You know,” I paused, turning my head towards them, “You can just walk in. He’s not in there. I saw him walking towards the Hufflepuff halls on my way here.”

Satisfied, I walked away, only for one of them to call out to me, “Oi! How do we know it’s not a trick?”

“You don’t,” I shrugged and continued my way. Before I was out of ear shot, I heard a muffled _Alohomora_ and smirked.

…

I spent the majority of the morning helping Hagrid with his newly invented creatures, blast-ended skrewts. He succeeded in hatching a litter of the slimy, shell-less lobster looking things and we spent the majority of the time trying to find out what they ate. They were a cross between manticores and fire crabs but didn’t eat the diet of either creature.

I spent some time with the Thestral herd, feeding them a breakfast of roadkill and fresh blood and checking on a small mare who had sprung her back leg. Fang accompanied me as I went about my duties.

“I don’t care, Fang,” I sighed, returning the dirty buckets from feeding the herd back to Hagrid’s hut, “You are getting a bath. If not tonight, then tomorrow.”

He promptly flopped onto his side, letting out a groan. I shook my head and started walking towards the Whomping Willow as he got up to follow.

“It’s your own fault. You got too close to the skrewts. They reek and now you reek.”

“Are you talking with a dog?” A familiar voice called out to me and I turned to see the twins walking up to me and Fang. I furrowed my brows. As the day went on, I had seen more and more students milling around or rushing off to classes, but I made sure to give them a wide birth. A few had tried to interact with me, but I successfully ignored them or scared them off with a glare when they tried to get closer. The latter group were all haughty Alphas.

Nonetheless, I responded how I always did when someone questioned my ability to communicate with creatures, “Of course not. Dogs can’t talk.”

I tried to leave it at that and continued my walk, but to my annoyance, they fell into stride on either side of me.

“Well we know that – “

“ – But do you?”

I was beginning to see they had a theme of finishing each others sentences and I couldn’t decide on whether it was endearing or annoying. I glanced at Fang, who was eying them suspiciously, and slightly tilted my head, signaling to him that he could go back to the hut for his nap. With a final huff, he complied.

“What do you want?” I sighed, accepting that they weren’t going to leave me alone.

“We wanted to thank you for this morning.”

“And we needed to introduce ourselves.”

They both stepped ahead of me, facing me and cutting me off. I wasn’t expecting it, so I jerked to a stop and looked up at them. _Damn those stupid grins._

“I’m Fred,” The one on the right said, thrusting out his hand.

“And I’m George,” The other copied his twin.

I stared at their large hands for a moment, involuntarily wiggling my nose out of habit when I thought something over. Hagrid was – not so subtly – trying to get me to make friends this school year. He even recommended the Golden Trio, but I really didn’t want to be close to that drama. Reluctantly, I grasped both of their hands and gave each a firm shake.

“Athena,” I nodded, then walked through them to continue…which was a mistake. I caught their scents and slightly stumbled. Fred’s was cinnamon, gunpowder, and cedar. George’s was cinnamon, gunpowder, and pine. My inner Omega jumped to the forefront of my mind before I shoved her back down. By the way they paused before continuing to follow me, I knew they must have caught mine as well, but I didn’t risk taking a look behind me.

“Woah,” Fred’s voice startled me as his arm suddenly wrapped around my waist, halting my movements. I looked over my shoulder with an expression that must have been questioning his sanity, because he quickly released me.

“Uh, sorry,” He stammered, rubbing the back of his neck and looking elsewhere.

George supplied, “If you got any closer, the Whomping Willow can reach you.”

Fred seemingly recovered quickly and added, “Wouldn’t want that pretty face to get nailed by a branch.”

I snorted and started to dig through my bag for a jar of cream, “And they say chivalry is dead. I actually have to get a lot closer to Willow,” I fished out the jar and presented it to them, “Over the summer, it got infected with a stubborn strain of bark fungus and I need to apply this cream to the affected area once a day.”

They started to protest, but I held up a hand, “Just watch.”

I dropped my bag down at my feet and stepped forward. The Whomping Willow twisted it’s trunk, as if turning to look at me.

“Hello, Willow,” I greeted loudly, “It’s time for your treatment, Love.”

It half-heartedly swung a low branch at my head, which I immediately ducked under. I sighed, tilting my head at it. I felt the familiar pull in my mind and chest as I usually did with creatures. I shook my head in understanding.

“Just because students are back, doesn’t mean you can act up. I’m only trying to take care of you,” I said in my best soothing voice.

I walked closer until it swung a large branch directly down towards me and I heard the twins yelling, but I didn’t move. The branch stopped an inch from the top of my head and I looked at the tree with an arched brow, placing a hand on my hip. With creaking and groans, it retracted the branch and I could sense it’s reluctant acceptance.

I smiled, “Now, are you going to give me a ride up or am I going to have to climb you?”

It responded by moving a thin branch from high up, down to my level. I gratefully grabbed onto it and it twisted around my wrist, not so gently tugging me up to the part of the trunk that had the fungus. I quickly smeared on a generous amount of the cream.

“It’s looking much better,” I patted the trunk before it started to lower me, “Just a few more applications and you should be good as new.”

I turned to walk away, only to be whipped in the back of the legs by a thin branch. I yelped and tossed a glare back at the tree.

“Ungrateful,” I muttered as I put the jar back into my bag.

“You can talk to trees,” George murmured. I looked up to see the boys staring at me with mild shock and disbelief. They glanced at each other and had some sort of short nonverbal conversation. It seemed like they decided something before looking back at me.

“What?” I asked, slightly concerned about the mischievous glint in their soft brown eyes.

“We’ve just decided to be your friend,” Fred stated confidently.

“No thank you,” I automatically said, turning to walk back to Hagrid’s hut. I caught the look of disappointment that flashed through their features. I ignored the guilty feeling that panged through my chest. _Friends? Hah. No. I’m already friends with Hagrid. I don’t need any more and especially not Alpha friends. …Right?_ My steps faltered and, against my better judgement, I looked back to where they still stood at the bottom of the slight hill. They seemed to be bickering amongst each other.

I huffed and willed myself to continue on the path, but my feet didn’t move.

“Fine,” I called out to them and they snapped their heads up as smiles quickly grew on their faces. Fred let out a whoop before they high fived each other. I shook my head, letting out a chuckle at their antics. _What did I get myself into?_

…

Hagrid and I were sitting in his hut, discussing what all needed to be done tomorrow. I was sitting on the floor with Fang’s huge head in my lap, absentmindedly stroking my fingertips along his snout. Hagrid’s hut was always so warm and comfortable, especially when he had a fire going, as it was now.

“I…think I made a couple friends today,” I said nonchalantly, but smiled as his face lit up.

“Oh? That’s great, ‘Thena,” He grinned, taking another sip of his tea, “And on the first day too. Who are they?”

“They’re twins. Fred and George,” I barely got the names out when he nearly choked on his tea. He set down his cup and banged on his chest, coughing a few times while I stared wide-eyed.

“The Weasley twins?” He confirmed, trying to hide his surprise.

My eyes flickered over his expression warily, “Yes? I guess so. I didn’t get their last names. Why?”

“Oh, nothin’, nothin’,” He said quickly, “From what I can tell, they have good hearts – well all Weasleys do – they’re just a little…mischievous. Class clowns or pranksters. I just never would have paired ya with them, that’s all.”

“Well, I don’t think they would have given me the choice,” I muttered, turning my attention down to Fang again, “They seem adamant.”

Hagrid chuckled and I couldn’t help but smile at the sound.

“Well, you best be going to get dinner from the kitchens,” He sighed, “Oh! Before you go, I found a tennis ball on the ground beside the hut earlier on. I think one of the first years brought it in. I set it on the table but now I can’t seem to find it…do you think you could…” He gestured down to the snoozing Fang on my lap.

I nodded and gently woke the slumbering giant up, ignoring his groans of protest, “Fang, darling. Have you seen a ball around here? It was on the table.”

I noticed his body tense slightly and I tilted my head at him, giving in to the warm tug. I narrowed my eyes slightly and he moved his head to look up at me with puppy dog eyes. A grin spread across my face and I nodded, which seemed to appease him.

I looked up at Hagrid, “It’s underneath his bed. He saw it and thought you were going to make him play fetch, so he hid it. In exchange, I promised that you wouldn’t make him exercise with it.”

Hagrid huffed and walked over to Fang’s bed, lifting it up to find the ball tucked under it, “He is the laziest beast I’ve ever come across,” He muttered, holding up the tennis ball.

I laughed and nodded in agreement, tapping Fang’s head so I could stand up. With great effort, the massive dog sat up, giving my cheek a drool-coated lick. I groaned, getting to my feet and wiping my face with my sleeve. If a dog could smile, that’s what Fang was doing as I shot him a glare.

“Alright, I’ll be going,” I sighed, falling into Hagrid’s arms for a hug, “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, ‘Thena.”

…

I made my way to the kitchens as the majority of students and staff were enjoying dinner in the Great Hall. I turned the corner and was greeted by the sight of two students I recognized through Hagrid’s descriptions as Hermione and Ron talking to student both Hagrid and McGonagall had warned me about, Draco Malfoy. It wasn’t hard to clock onto his stark white hair and haughty stance. Behind him were, what I assumed to be two of his lackies. Their conversation was not pleasant by the sneers on their faces and I had hoped to slip by unnoticed.

“Hey Omega!” I cringed as Draco’s voice called out to me.

Hermione looked horrified and snapped at him, “You’re not her Alpha, Malfoy. Don’t you dare call her that!”

“Not yet,” Draco sneered at her, then looked at me with a charming smile while sauntering over to me, his lackies in tow. With a huff, Hermione followed, standing by my side and Ron, who looked as if he wanted to be somewhere else, stood on her other side. Part of me appreciated the support, even if I didn’t exactly want it.

Draco, ignoring the tension, continued, “My name is Draco Malfoy. I’m sure you’ve heard of me. My father wanted me to extend an invitation for you to come to the Malfoy manor this Christmas break, seeing as you don’t have a home to go back to. Us purebloods have to stick together.”

He looked so proud of himself and even puffed his chest up, as if presenting for me. _Cocky bastard._

“No thanks,” I answered and quite enjoyed the way his face fell slightly before he recovered. Ron didn’t even try to cover up his snickers. I decided not to give him another chance to speak, choosing to turn and walk away.

However I didn’t get far before I flinched at a sudden harsh grip on my shoulder, attempting to pull me back. Alarms bells rang out in my mind and before I could stop it, my body reacted.

“Don’t walk aw – “ Was all Draco could get out before my hands grabbed the hand on my shoulder, my right foot stepped forward and, using the momentum, I flipped his body over mine. He landed on his back in front of me with a thud, knocking the wind out of him. My hands were shaking with adrenaline, which quickly turned into anger. The magic thrumming inside of my bones grew to a dull roar, aching to be let out.

Before he could sit up, I placed the heel of my boot against his throat, looking down at him with a curled lip, “Don’t fucking touch me.”

I didn’t wait to see anyone’s reactions as I walked away as quickly as I could, turning the corner, not caring that I was walking away from the kitchens at that point. I eventually found myself at the top of the astronomy tower and I finally felt as if I could breathe as the cold, biting wind whipped against my hair. I sat with my back against the wall, tilting my head against the cold stone brick.

Slowly, the itching underneath my skin subsided as the temperature worked to numb my body. I closed my eyes, allowing my thoughts to drift. As usual, they settled on the scarce and fragmented memories of my parents. Bits and pieces of them shone through. My father’s deep, timbre voice, the lullabies my mother would sing to me, the way they would embrace each other and dance around the room as music played, how my father would let me stand on his feet to dance with me as well. Scraps is what I’m left with of them.

I was pulled from my mind by the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. I covered my face with my hands and groaned. _I wonder how much trouble I would get in if I threw a student off of this tower._ My annoyance grew as the students were revealed to be one of the twins. I squinted at him, guessing it was Fred by the way he held himself.

“Of course it’s you,” I mumbled, wondering if they put some sort of tracking charm on me.

“Good to see you too,” He chirped, sliding down the wall to sit next to me, “Ron told us – well the whole Gryffindor table really – what you did that prat, Malfoy.”

I hadn’t realized how cold I had gotten while sitting up here for who knows how long. I felt his warmth radiating off of him and I fought the urge to slide closer to him.

I shrugged, “I just hope I don’t get fired. I don’t really have anywhere else to go,” I muttered slightly bitterly.

I tilted my head to look back up at the stars and, from the corner of my eye, I saw him do the same. It was quiet between us for a moment.

“What are we looking at?” He murmured after a while and I breathed out a laugh.

“The stars,” I responded, “I guess.”

He hummed, “Just a bunch of dots, innit?”

I glanced at him, wondering why he was so seemingly desperate to carry on a conversation. _Apparently, he’s not one for astrology._

“Actually, Orion’s Belt is really visible tonight,” I stated, pointing up at the constellation, even though I knew he probably couldn’t see it. Though, I didn’t really want to spend the night explaining the different constellations to him. He followed my pointed finger, squinting at the sky.

Before he could respond, I tried to change the subject, “Where’s George? Why isn’t he here to bother me as well?”

He looked at me with a grin on his face, “You say ‘bother’ like it’s a bad thin – Hey. Wait a minute. How’d you know I’m Fred?”

The corner of my lip went up into a half-smile, “Womanly intuition.”

He snorted, “Not even our own mother can tell the difference most of the time. People even say our scents are the same.”

I looked at him slightly confused, “Really? I mean, they’re similar but different enough.”

“Hah!” His eyebrows went up, “So that’s how you could tell.”

I scoffed, “You would know if I scented you.”

“How?”

Now it was time for my eyebrows to go up, “My pupils would dilate and my scent would react to yours, getting slightly stronger.”

“Oh,” His face went pink and he looked away.

“I guess there’s not a lot of information available about Omegas here, huh?”

He shook his head, “No. You’re a rare breed,” He nudged my shoulder while grinning.

I scoffed, fighting a smile, and half-heartedly smacked his chest. He caught my hand. He gasped at my icy fingers and I gasped at his warm ones.

“Blimey, you’re freezing,” He went wide-eyed and instantly encased both of my hands in his, “How long have you been up here?”

I blinked a few times, surprised at the sudden urge to curl up against him to leech the heat and scent off him. _Where the fuck did that come from?_

“Uh,” I finally found the ability to speak again, “I guess too long.”

“Right,” He said, standing and pulling me up with him, “Let’s get you to your room so you can properly warm up.”

He kept my hands in his as he led me down the winding stairs. My movements felt sluggish and my mind was slightly foggy. I didn’t know if it was his sudden warm touch or if the cold was really starting to get to me. At the bottom of the stairs, George greeted us, which solved the mystery of the missing twin. His expression changed to one of concern at the sight of me.

“What the hell did you do to her? She’s as white as a sheet,” He asked, rushing to my side and putting an arm around me.

Fred sent a glare at him and attempted to shove him away from me, “I didn’t do anything. She was up there for too long. She’s half-frozen.”

Even though my inner Omega swooned over the two Alphas fawning over me, I couldn’t help but feel a bit of shock over their concern. They had only just met me that day.

“Where’s your room?” George asked me, snapping me back into reality.

“Next to the main entrance of the dungeons,” I responded, politely peeling myself away from their touch.

The twins shared a look before Fred smirked, “Well, there’s no way you’d warm up there.”

“Best come with us to the Gryffindor common room,” George supplied, “There’s always a huge fire going in the mantle.”

I shook my head, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?” Fred persisted, “Come on, we don’t bite – “

“ – Unless you – “ George started but was cut off with a swift thump to the head from his twin.

I sighed, “Listen. I appreciate the determination, but I have to get up early tomorrow.”

“Why’s that?” George asked. Without me noticing, we all began walking with them guiding me in the opposite direction from the dungeons.

“I have to comb Fluffy’s hair and I would prefer to start when he’s still sleepy. He’s shedding his summer coat to prepare for his winter one.”

“Fluffy?” Fred questioned, “Why does that name sound familiar?”

I chuckled, “Well he used to guard some sort of secret basement in the castle. After they didn’t need his protection anymore, Dumbledore and Hagrid moved him to the forest.”

“Wait a minute!” Fred grasped my arm, causing me to turn my head to him, “Do you mean that three-headed, massive dog? The one that Potter and them snuck past in their first year?”

I nodded and both twins looked delighted. They started asking more questions about the multi-headed dog and I happily answered them. I recalled the memory of the first time I met Fluffy with fondness. It had taken a while for the beast to tolerate me without subtle music playing in the background. I had discovered that the middle head warmed up to me the quickest and seemed to favor me the most, the left head was the hardest one to crack and was still wary of me, and the right head was the most playful and loved to be scratched behind his ears.

“So you really do get to go into the Forbidden Forest?” George asked with a sly expression on his face.

Once again I nodded, “Yeah. It’s part of my job. And before either of you can ask, no I’m not sneaking you in there,” I shot a firm stare at both of them.

They groaned in unison and Fred all but whined, “Come on, we thought you were fun.”

“Yeah, you helped us break into Filch’s office,” George chimed in.

I huffed, a small flicker of anger rising through me, “So sorry to disappoint, but if you’re hanging around me to have fun then you’ve made a mistake. The Forbidden Forest isn’t fun…it isn’t even safe, so there’s no wa – HOW the HELL did we end up HERE?” I cut myself off as I realized that we were standing in front of the Fat Lady, who guarded the Gryffindor common room. I whipped around, taking in my surroundings. _How did I not notice walking up the moving stairs?_ My gaze settled on the twins, fixing them with a glare as they nearly doubled over while laughing.

After taking a moment to collect themselves, Fred pretended to wipe a tear from his eye and glanced at his twin, “I think we were wrong – “

“ – you are fun,” George finished, equally as amused.

Before I knew it, I was being led/pushed into the common room after George uttered the password. They were right – though I would never admit it out loud – the room was exceedingly warm and cozy. My body tensed up as I saw many pairs of eyes land on me as students were milling about before bed. I turned around to leave – or rather, flee – but Fred caught me with an arm around my waist and, to my horror, picked me up easily.

I yelped out, stringing together obscenities and hollow threats as he carried me to the couches in front of the fireplace. To my surprise, the alarm bells in my mind were silent, even though an Alpha picking me up against my will and taking me wherever he wanted should have triggered them. It felt different than when Draco’s gross fingers were on me. So, though I could have put up much more of a fight, I stuck to half-heartedly flailing my legs and hitting the arm that held me.

He finally set me down in front of the empty couch and flopped onto it himself, looking quite pleased with himself. With a growl, I picked up a book from the coffee table and leaned over him.

“Do. Not. Lift. Me,” I growled out, thumping him with the book to punctuate every word as he laughed and covered his head with his arms.

With a huff, I looked over to the person I stole the book from, handing it back to him, “Sorry Ron.”

He looked at me surprised and delighted, “Sorry? That just made my night,” He looked over at Fred, “You’re lucky she didn’t pick up one of Hermione’s books. You’d be knocked out before the sentence ended.”

I chuckled and sat down on the other side of Fred, the closest seat to the fireplace, where a cozy fire was lit. Hermione came down from the stairs, sending me a smile when she saw me before walking over to sit next to Ron on the couch facing ours. Thankfully, the other students present had gotten used to me being there and went back to doing whatever they were doing.

“Hello, Athena,” She greeted, setting a large and heavy-looking tome in her lap, proving Ron right, “How was your first day?”

I shrugged, “It was okay. I guess I’m not used to the castle being so…full, yet.”

Both Fred and George decided to take it upon themselves to animatedly tell Hermione and Ron about my encounter with the Whomping Willow. It was entertaining to say the least and they certainly took the liberty to embellish certain details, but I found myself smiling at the excited gleam in their eyes. Fred was the most enthused and I found my gaze settling on his large hands more than once as he used them to tell the story. I bit the inside of my lip and was about to subtly scenting the air, suddenly wanting more of his scent.

Luckily, Hermione brought me back to reality when she looked at me and asked, “How on earth did you manage to pull that off? The Whomping Willow doesn’t even allow birds to fly near it.”

I gave a small smile, fidgeting my hands together out of a nervous habit, “Its…really more of a creature than it is a tree – at least on the inside. I just work well with creatures, “I admitted, glossing over the truth for fear of sounding crazy, “It’s easy for me to understand them and they…seem to understand me well.”

“Explains why you’re friends with these two,” Ron quipped, earning a middle finger from George.

“So,” Hermione pushed on, tilting her head like she was trying to understand, “There’s no spell or potion involved?”

I shook my head and opened my mouth to respond when Fred suddenly perked up, “Oi! Neville, go get your toad!” He turned to Hermione, “You can see it in action.”

A boy, who I assumed to be Neville, ran off up the stairs.

I looked at Fred in disbelief, “I’m not a dog. I don’t do tricks on command, asshole.”

His grin faltered and he had enough sense to look slightly ashamed when Hermione agreed with me.

“Isn’t that kind of what Omegas…” Ron spoke without thinking and, thankfully stopped and shrunk back when he caught the icy glare I sent him.

“Omegas don’t mindlessly follow orders,” Hermione hissed at him. I was beginning to like her. Neville ran back in, holding a hefty toad with both hands. The toad seemed stressed over being ripped from, presumably, his habitat and thrust into the common room. You didn’t need to have my abilities to see that.

I sighed, taking pity on the creature and taking it from the boy’s hands.

“His name is Trevor,” Neville supplied quietly, avoiding looking at my face.

It’s skin was slimy, as excepted, but it didn’t stop me from plopping the creature onto my lap and gently stroking its head with my fingertip. Trevor shuffled in my lap, his bulging eyes darting around him. He was apparently a very flighty toad.

“Hello Trevor,” I greeted him. He responded to my voice by tilting his head up so his gaze met mine. I subtly checked him over, lifting his legs and examining his tiny fingers and toes. His eyes shifted among the people in the room before he tried to burrow into my sweatshirt to hide.

Neville had his eyes locked onto his creature, as if the toad would suddenly vanish, “How do you get him to stay so…still?”

I smiled down at Trevor, before glancing up with a shrug, “Like I said, I’m good with creatures. But…he probably needs to go back to his habitat.”

“Thank you for showing him to me,” I stated sincerely as I handed Trevor back to him, “You take good care of him.”

The boy blushed and muttered out a ‘you’re welcome’ before dashing off to his room upstairs. George then nudged Fred towards me, making his shoulder bump into mine, and gave him a look.

“Right,” Fred muttered then looked at me, “Sorry for…uh…making you feel like a dog?”

Ron hid his chuckles behind his hand and both George and Hermione gave Fred a look that was a mixture of slight disbelief and amusement. I got the sense that Fred didn’t apologize often, though his gaze had softened and he seemed genuine…and partly nervous. If it was anyone else, I could easily have held a grudge for years. I was very good at taking any and every chance at distancing myself from people. Looking into his soft brown eyes, noticing the way the fire reflected off of them, and his slightly scrunched eyebrows somehow dissolved any anger I had.

But that didn’t mean I was just going to let it go. Instead, I smiled – a smile that I reserve strictly for when I have ulterior motives. It was sweet and innocent and I batted my eyelashes for good measure. I reached out, tracing my fingers along his jawline before cupping his cheeks with both hands, holding his face gently. His breathing quickened and he leaned into my touch, slightly melting.

“All is forgiven, Darling,” My voice was silky, sweet.

It was a good moment before he noticed that my hands were wet. A mortified look fell over his face as George caught onto it as well.

“Oi! She has toad slime on her hands!” He howled, both he and Ron erupting in laughter. Even Hermione laughed as Fred tore his face out of my hands and furiously wiping his cheeks with the sleeves of his shirt.

“Ugh, that’s bloody disgusting!” He stopped wiping long enough to send me a heated stare. His expression had a bit a pride in it though, which made a warm feeling spread through me as my laughter mixed in with the others.

After saying goodnight to everyone and convincing the twins that I could make back to my room on my own just fine, I finally left the warm common room.

I had almost made it there when a tall dark figure stopped me, lighting my face up with the tip of his wand.

“And where are you coming from?” Snape sneered at me, his tall frame looming over me making his subtle scent of amber and sandalwood waft over me. I couldn’t help but notice the slight bitter twinge to his scent, making me shift nervously.

“The Gryffindor common room,” I stated, holding his gaze.

He scoffed, “And just what where you doing there?”

I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest, “Talking with…friends.” I inwardly cringed at the weird infliction my voice took at the last word. For some reason, it felt like I was admitting to a crime.

He raised a bushy brow at me, then narrowed his dark eyes, “Friends? I didn’t think you capable of making friends. Especially seeing as how you physically assaulted an innocent student earlier.”

“Innocent?” It was my turn to scoff, “Both Hagrid and McGonagall warned me about him and it seems that they were right.”

Snape’s gaze softened just a fraction and I just barely caught the small flicker of concern flash over his features, “What did Draco do?”

I sighed, dropping my arms, “It…it wasn’t much,” I admitted reluctantly, “I was walking away from him and he grabbed my shoulder,” I absentmindedly rubbed the shoulder where his fingers dug into, “and tried to pull me back to him. Apparently, he wasn’t done talking to me, but I…just reacted.”

He reached for my shoulder, his eyes flicking to mine and I nodded. He gently pushed my sweatshirt and tank top strap to the side, grimacing at the bruise there. He pointed the tip of his wand at the damaged skin and whispered a _Decontusus_ , healing the bruise. I muttered a thanks to him and, for a brief moment, I thought he was going to say something else about the incident, perhaps to detail a punishment.

Instead he simply stepped back and waved a hand at me dismissively, “Return to your chambers, Miss Wardwell. Nothing good can come from wandering the castle halls at night.”

I nodded and walked past him as he added, “Don’t forget to take your potion tonight either. Incidents like todays would become exceedingly worse if your scent was at full capacity.”

“I won’t,” I confirmed, grimacing at the thought before hurrying back to my room.


	3. Chapter Three

After the first day, school swung back into session full force and I was busier than ever doing my regular duties with the addition of helping Hagrid with his Care of Magical Creatures classes. While Hagrid was incredibly passionate about all creatures, he lacked the organizational skills his lessons needed and I was happy to help create lesson plans, assignments, and assessments for him.

Today’s lesson featured an ornery Abraxan named Titan, a winged horse as tall and as powerful as an elephant. Hagrid was going over how to care for his beautiful, blue-tinted wings as I fed Titan a steady supply of green apples, a treat I learned he had an affinity for. I could tell he was growing restless and, as I was reaching the last apples in my basket, I signaled to Hagrid that it was probably time to wrap things up.

“Well that’s all fer today, kids,” He announced to the third year class of Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, “Don’t forget to write up a report about winged horses and turn it in by the end of the week.”

I took that as my cue to take Titan’s reins and lead him away, communicating to him that the class was over and that he could graze in the small pasture until his owner came to get him. My grip tightened on the reins as that all too familiar pull revealed his displeasure at having to wait in the tiny space. Apparently, he was used to the hundreds of acres he had access to at his home.

With a high-pitched whinny, he lifted his front hooves from the ground to stomp at the dirt.

“Hey,” I scolded, tugging at the reins sharply, “Enough. It won’t be long until you’re home again. Just be patient and I’ll bring you more apples…maybe even a few carrots too.”

In response, he whipped his head to my arm, snapping his teeth around it and flinging me into the air with ease. A short scream escaped me before I landed with a thud on my side on the ground, pushing the air out of my lungs with an “oof”.

“Woah there Titan!” Hagrid rushed to us, putting himself between me and the beast that even towered over him.

A dull ache settled into my right arm, which would surely turn into a sharp pain once the adrenaline wore off. With a glance, I noticed that the skin was broken in some parts from the pressure of Titan’s jaw, but the full extent of the damage wasn’t evident yet. I stumbled to my feet, more pissed than anything. Titan was drawing his front feet up at Hagrid, neighing and whining as Hagrid held his hands up, trying to placate the beast.

“Titan,” I snarled, unable to keep my magic from seeping into it, giving my voice a slight echo and sharper infliction. The horse stilled, his red eyes locking onto mine with a huff as his nostrils flared.

“Go into the pasture,” My voice sounded eerily and deceptively level, “Your owner will be here soon to collect you. I won’t ask you again.”

Titan’s eyes bored into mine, flicking his ears and twitching his nose. I held my ground, ignoring the increasing pain in my arm, setting my jaw and puffing out my chest. After a long moment, Titan snorted, stomping the ground once more before turning around. He snapped his wings out in a final display before walking into the pasture. Hagrid followed him, closing the gate behind him and whispering the spell that contained the horse inside the area, before turning back to me.

“Lemme see the damage,” He knelt down and gently took my right arm. I hissed as he lightly pressed the wound, a sharp pain shooting up to my shoulder. “Smashed yer bones, I reckon. I’m sorry, ‘Thena. I should have ended the lesson before he got antsy. We best be getting you to Madam Pomfrey.”

I cradled my arm as we started walking to the castle, “Well,” I said, trying to lighten the mood, “I’m lucky he didn’t bite down all the way or else we’d be looking at smushed bones.”

Hagrid smiled, shaking his head and running a hand down his beard, “Smashed bones do sound better than smushed ones.”

“And it wasn’t your fault, Hagrid,” I went on, glancing at him with a small smile, “I just have to come to terms with the fact that not all creatures are going to love me or even like me.”

“Their loss,” He grinned, resting a hand on my shoulder.

We past by several students, who all stared at me for a few moments before carrying on. I certainly must have looked odd, with my left side covered in dirt, leaves in my hair, and cradling an arm that didn’t look quite right. I winced as every step seemed to jostle my arm slightly, sending new waves of pain through it.

We finally got to the hospital wing and Madam Pomfrey promptly had me sit on a bed while she gathered supplies. Hagrid recounted what happened to me as she examined my arm, apologizing for having to move it.

“Well dear, it seems you got lucky,” She clicked her tongue, “You only have three stress fractures, which is a lot easier to fix than broken bones.”

I grinned at the news, looking over to Hagrid to find him looking relieved.

“Thank goodness,” He muttered.

Madam Pomfrey gave me a few potions and made quick work of mending the fractures. I clenched and gritted my teeth as she did so. Hagrid offered me his hand and I grasped onto it, my small hand looking almost comical in his large mitt.

“There you go,” She chirped, “All finished. Now, you’ll have a fair bit of tenderness in that arm for a few days and you should use it as little as possible for about a week.”

I nodded profusely, eager to get out of there, when the doors flew open and everyone in the ward looked up.

“We let you out of our sight for one bloody hour – “ Fred announced dramatically.

“ – And you go ahead and get mauled by a giant horse!” George declared from beside him.

I groaned, letting my head flop down, knowing I would never hear the end of this. _How did they find out so fast?_ The twins and I have been hanging out every day. It baffles me that they were doing consistently well in their classes as they never seemed to be in them. We always ate lunch together and hung out in the evenings when I was done with work. On occasion, Fred would wake up at the same time as me and we would sit in the empty courtyard to talk.

Well, mainly he would talk and I would listen. He recently told me about his and George’s dream to run a joke shop and even told me of all the products they’ve tried and successfully made so far. I learned about their family and, through them, met the other Omega at Hogwarts, their younger sister Ginny. She was nice and fairly laid back, a stark contrast to her brothers.

Fred was certainly more impulsive, loud, and, at times, bordered on cruel with his jokes. George was softer, thought more before he spoke, and had more common sense, it seemed. They both flirted heavily, relying on their charm and incredibly quick wit. They were both brilliant and always found a way to make me smile or laugh.

“I’m fine boys. See?” I asserted as they both walked over, ignoring the glare from Madam Pomfrey. I showed off my newly fixed arm to them, though they didn’t look too convinced. “I just have to baby it for a while.”

“Why don’t ya take the rest of the day off,” Hagrid suggested, “I can handle the rest of classes.”

I was already shaking my head as I stood up from the hospital bed, “No, no. The Skrewts are hard enough to handle between the two of us and, besides, I have other creatures to tend to. I haven’t checked Willow’s fungus today and-and I have to check on the sick owl in the owlery. I promised Sprout I would – “

My rambling was rudely cut off by Fred’s warm hand covering my mouth. I stared at his smug grin with wide eyes.

“The creatures of the land will be fine without you for half a day, Love.”

_Love._ That one word, paired with it coming from his mouth and his scent wafting from his wrists, had my brain shorting out. _Nope. Nope. It’s a common pet name here._ I hastily reminded myself that it was the equivalent to sweetheart or honey. I’ve called creatures by those names plenty of times.

“I think you broke her,” George, not-so-subtly, whispered to Fred, making me snap out of my trance to realize that there was no longer a hand over my lips.

“What – this…I –“ My brain faltered while I desperately tried to string together a sentence, “What am I supposed to do for half a day?”

The twin’s faces lit up at this, sharing a glance between them before taking both of my hands and pulling me from the room. I looked back at Hagrid in alarm but was met with a smirk that he tried to hide. I huffed but allowed the duo to lead me away.

“First stop is your room,” George snickered beside me as he picked a leaf out of my hair.

“Yeah, you’re looking as wild as your creatures,” Fred quipped, leading the way.

I rolled my eyes, but silently agreed that a quick shower and change of clothes was needed. When we arrived at my door, I stopped them.

“You can come in, but if you go any farther than the sitting room, then an alert will be sent to Snape that Alphas are in my chambers. I have no clue what he’d do to you, but I don’t think it would be pleasant,” I warned, looking them both in the eyes as they nodded eagerly.

I turned to the door, tapping the knob three times with my wand. The enchanted knob recognized my wand and the lock clicked open. I pushed through the door, habitually sweeping my wand through the air to turn on the lights.

“Huh,” Fred hummed, as both boys inspected the room, “Not what I expected.”

All of the furnishing had already been in the small apartment when I moved here. I changed nothing but the color of the fabrics to a deep blue. The door opened into my sitting room which had a small couch, two arm chairs, a small fireplace, and a large bookshelf lining the back wall. Off to the right was a small kitchen and my bedroom and bathroom was placed in the back, through double doors.

“What were you expecting?” I asked, slightly afraid of the answer. The twins looked at each other before responding.

“A couple of murtlaps – “

“ – a few crups – “

“ – maybe a cockatrice – “

“ – and loads of kneazles.”

“Oh definitely loads of kneazles. You do seem like the crazy cat lady type,” Fred agreed.

I scoffed, “Don’t be ridiculous. A cockatrice wouldn’t even fit in here.”

At my wording, the twins burst out laughing. I shook my head, unable to keep the smile off my face at their immaturity. _Boys._

“On that note, I’m going to take a quick shower and change,” I sighed, opening my bedroom door, “Don’t…set fire to anything.”

“Oh come on, it was one time,” Fred grumbled and George chimed in as well, “How were we supposed to know that sneezing powder is flammable?”

I chuckled as I grabbed clothes and hopped into the bathroom to shower. Usually, I enjoyed long and scolding hot showers, but knowing that Hogwarts’s biggest troublemakers were sitting in my living room unattended made me speed up the process. I got out, flicking my wand over my body and hair with a drying spell, and quickly changed. I opted for simple black leggings, a light blue v-neck long sleeved shirt, and fresh scent bands for my wrists. I swept my hair into a ponytail as I walked back into the sitting room where George was snooping through my bookshelf and Fred was sprawled out on my couch.

“So what are we doing?” I asked, stopping short on the odd looks on their faces, “What?”

This jolted them out of their staring and Fred quickly recovered, “Nothing. Just never knew you had a body under the garbage you usually wear.”

I blinked, feeling a blush rise on my cheeks, both from embarrassment and anger.

“Right,” I sighed, looking over to George, “George, you’re now officially my favorite twin. What are we doing?”

He smirked, walking over to me and slinging an arm around my shoulders as Fred glared at him, “Well, you said that you never learn how to play Quidditch, so we’re going to the fields to teach you how.”

“So thoughtful George,” I cooed, enjoying the flush on his face and Fred seething from his spot on the couch, “But isn’t Quidditch cancelled this year for the tournament?”

“Yeah but the fields are still open for now,” He replied, as we walked to the door.

“Fred,” I said over my shoulder, “You coming?”

He huffed dramatically but stood up to follow. We walked through the halls, dodging students. The students, especially the younger ones, usually give me a wide birth when they see me. I didn’t let my friendship with the twins fool anyone, my demeanor towards everyone else – save for Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Harry, who I had just met recently – was nothing but cold. I was polite, but just barely. That combined with the notoriety of my uncle and his death – which rumors still spiraled around – kept enough distance between me and other students.

However, today seemed different. It was like no one saw me, or if they did it was too late and they were already bumping into me. Several classes must have just let out. Perhaps it was my change of clothes that threw people off as I usually wore my unofficial uniform of jeans and a Hogwarts sweatshirt. Alarms bells started to go off in my mind as I steadily felt trapped in the sea of people. Everyone was too close and my inner Omega panicked, reminding me that my bonding glands were unprotected with my hair up.

The twins didn’t seem fazed, as this sort of traffic was probably usual. George was right in front of me and Fred was by my side, his shoulder bumping mine whenever a student flew into him. Without a second thought, I grabbed his arm and draped it over me so it loosely went around my neck. My anxiety lessened a bit as the fabric of his shirt rubbed against my scent gland, protecting me from that side. I wrapped my arm closest to him around his back, settling my hand on his hip and pressing closer to him to protect the gland on my other side.

He tensed at the sudden contact, but after a glance at my face, he relaxed, settling into the hold with ease. He subtly leaned down, getting a whiff of my scent and tensed again at the smell of my distress. We were almost out of the sea of students as the courtyards were coming up and I couldn’t wait to get out of the suffocating atmosphere.

Then I heard something, and my thoughts paused as we kept moving forward. I heard it again and, this time, I felt it too. It was a deep, purring rumble and it silenced the alarms in my head. I realized it was Fred. He was crooning, something his inner Alpha undoubtably urged him to do in response to my panic. It brought a smile to my face, which only widened when we finally broke into the spacious courtyard. George turned around, slightly taken aback by our embrace, but his brows knitted in concern.

“Too crowded?” He asked me in a softer voice, to which I simply nodded and detangled myself from Fred. Both of the twins knew of my distaste and discomfort in crowded places, but George was the more understanding one. “Well, the field should be empty at least.”

We continued our journey and I reveled in the fresh air around us. That was, until Fred leaned in to whisper in my ear as George walked on a stone bench in front of us, holding out his arms for balance.

“George still your favorite twin?” His warm breath ghosted onto my neck, sending a shiver down my spine. One glance at his smug grin told me he knew exactly what he was doing to me and I met him with a glare.

“Of course,” I smiled sweetly at him, keeping my voice low and watching his grin turn into a frown. “But now I know who my favorite Alpha is.”

A blush crept onto his cheeks, contrasting with how his eyes darkened and the wicked grin that broke out onto his face, causing my face to heat up as well. I laughed at his reaction before sprinting forward, launching myself onto the back of an unsuspecting George. He stumbled forward, but automatically hooked his arms around my knees as he steadied himself.

“Onward!” I shouted, pointing in the direction of the Quidditch field while clinging onto him, ignoring the protests from my sore arm. The twins always seemed to bring out a far more playful side of me. Hagrid was the first to notice after he observed us through his hut’s window getting into a water fight while I was trying to bathe Fang in a basin. All three of us were soaked at the end and, after Fred deemed himself the winner, George and I pushed him into the basin. Sometimes I forget that I’m the same age as the twins, the same age as many of the students at Hogwarts.

“What do I look like? A taxi service?” George scoffed, but I could hear the smile on his lips.

“Of course not,” I said in a serious tone, “I don’t plan on paying you.”

The boys quickly found out that I was terrible at Quidditch, mainly because I was terrible on a broom. I could fly okay, but the minute I tried to do something in addition to concentrating on the broom, it all went to shit. I was normally a great multitasker, but when I was nearly decapitated by a bludger, I gave up any notion that I could play the sport. But I was happy to sit on the bleachers and watch the twins practice and mess around.

My smile disappeared when another student climbed up the bleachers to join me. She sat beside me at a respectable distance away and I recognized her as one of the Fred and George’s friends. She often sat with them during meal times.

“Bunch of idiots aren’t they?” She mused, a friendly smile on her face.

“Sometimes,” I replied with a tight-lipped smile. I returned my attention to Fred, who was doing a few looped-de-loops.

“I’m Angelina, by the way,” She continued, holding out her hand for me to shake. I narrowed my eyes at the gesture. She was a Beta, pretty, and seemed nice. I had noticed that she seemed to favor George, making it a point to greet him in the halls.

I tentatively shook her hand, “Athena.”

She chuckled nervously, casting her eyes onto the boys flying on the field, “Lee said you were…a hard one to crack.”

I flicked my eyes over her, “Were those the words he used?”

She sighed, shaking her head after a moment. I noticed that her eyes tracked George. Emotions swirled inside of me, I could only identify jealousy and anger, which quickly turned into a fierce protectiveness. It surprised me, but I filed away my confusion to process later. Angelina didn’t seem comfortable with me, her body language showing her unease, and I decided to use it to my advantage.

“You like George,” I stated, training my expression into a colder one that usual.

She looked at me with wide eyes, “What? N-no of course not, not like that. We’re just mates is all,” She stammered out, only confirming my suspicions.

“Hmm,” I hummed, flicking my eyes over her again, “Mates, huh?”

She nodded, but I continued, “Do you care about him?”

“Of course,” She said, a little too quickly, “He always talks about you, they both do. I figured it might be nice to get to know you so maybe we could all hang out together.”

I hummed again, taking in her words. I suddenly realized that, with all the time the twins spent with me, they were probably spending less time with their other friends. A slight feeling of guilt ran through me. I felt my nose twitch as I thought it over.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I settled on, ignoring the frustration building on her face, “However, I suppose it’s not fair for me to hog all their time. When they get done flying, I’ll take Fred so you and George can hang out.”

She looked at me surprised, “You don’t have to…but thank you. I’ve…missed hanging out with him, well both of them, but – “

I cut her off, just as the boys got off of their brooms and started putting up their gear, “I don’t grow fond of people often, as you’ve probably noticed. I’m sure I’m not the best friend or the easiest to put up with, but I know exactly where my loyalties lie. If someone were to hurt one of my friends, I wouldn’t hesitate to obliviate them to the point where they forget how to wipe their own ass. But we won’t have any problems, will we?” I turned to her with an arched eyebrow.

She was looking at me with disbelief and offense written across her face. I knew I was being a bitch, but it was worth it in my mind. I wasn’t looking to make more friends. I didn’t think Angelina was the type of girl to play with George’s feelings or to treat him bad, but I also didn’t want to take any chances. _A hefty dose of fear is always a good thing. If you can make someone fear you, you can make them do anything._ My uncle’s deep, gravelly voice entered my thoughts once more. My jaw ticked as the memory of that quote flashed through my mind before I could push it away.

“No,” She stated, a little warily, “No, we won’t. I don’t think I could ever hurt George.”

I nodded to her, standing up and leaving the bleachers to walk over to the boys, who were now wrestling over some argument. I waited until Angelina joined me to speak up.

“You’re identical twins,” I called out, making them pause, “You both have the same sized dick, stop bickering about it!”

Angelina snorted from beside me as both of the boy’s faces flushed. They hastily stood up.

“Why do you always assume that we’re arguing about our dicks?” Fred muttered, giving George one final shove. I glanced at Angelina and tilted my head towards George.

“Uh, George?” She asked, to which he responded by snapping his attention to her, “Do you think you could help me with my potions essay?”

I gave her a strange look. _That’s the excuse she was going with? They hate schoolwork._ To my surprise, George glanced to me before agreeing. Fred and I watched the pair walk off back to the castle.

“Did you set them up or something?” He asked, leaning his elbow on my shoulder.

I scoffed, “Course not. I simply observed that she likes him. She seems nice enough. You two spend so much time with me, it’s not really fair to your other friends. I think we came to an agreement.”

We started walking together, his arm slung over my shoulders. I subconsciously leaned into his body warmth.

“Agreement?”

I nodded, “As long as she treats him good, I won’t obliviate all of her memories and revert her mind back to infancy.”

Fred sighed and I couldn’t tell if he was disappointed or impressed. We came to the lake and we sat down on the soft grass bank. We fell into a comfortable silence for a moment, with Fred absentmindedly skipping rocks across the glassy surf of the water.

“So,” He began, glancing at me, “Why do you not like people? I mean, you’re friends with me and George – can’t fault you there – but you also talk to Hermione and them. Why only us?”

I laid back on the grass, my hair spreading out like a halo, and tucked my good arm underneath my head, “To be honest, I didn’t expect to make friends here, at least not with students. I’ve asked myself the same and all I could think of was that meeting and befriending you and George sent a sort of shock to my system. It went against all my rules and boundaries I put up. I met Hermione and the others shortly after, so I think I was just on a roll of making friends. Then, I came back to my senses and put my guards back up. I don’t want or need anymore friends.”

Fred smiled at this, “George and I have always been rule-breakers,” He paused before going on, “But how could you not want friends? Wouldn’t it be lonely to not have anyone?”

I hummed, enjoying the last rays of sun before it started to go down, “Ever since my uncle died, all I ever wanted was to live out the rest of my life flying under the radar. I wanted to be forgettable and invisible. When I died, I didn’t want anyone to remember who I was. Then I came to this school and all those dreams went to shit.”

He was quiet for a while and his sudden silence made me realize how much I divulged. I had never even voiced my past aspirations before and, admittedly, hearing them made me realize how sad those dreams were. I felt a warmth cover my hand and I glanced down to his hand covering mine. Without thinking, I flipped my palm up and entwined our fingers.

“You’re out of luck because I doubt I could ever forget you,” He said in an out of character softness, before tacking on, “Honestly the whole ‘flying under the radar’ thing would have never worked because, Darling, you are shit at flying in general.”

I snorted, kicking at his leg, “Asshole.”

He gave me his signature grin as he looked down at me, “You love it.”

“I tolerate it,” I shot back as he pulled my hand he was holding up. He pushed back my sleeve to reveal my scent band, pulling the elastic back and snapping it against my wrist.

“Why do you always wear these?”

“Helps to block my scent,” I replied, “So devious Alphas don’t get any ideas,” I winked at him, causing his grin to grow.

“Devious Alphas, eh?” He smirked before adding, “I mean, don’t get me wrong, you smell amazing, but I think you’re underestimating an Alpha’s self-control.”

I smiled, “I’d rather be safe than sorry. The wizarding world hasn’t caught up with the muggle world when it comes to laws about Alphas and Omegas. There’s really no consequence for an Alpha to force an Omega to bond with them and, even though bonding marks aren’t permanent here within the school grounds, I don’t want to be put in that position.”

A sudden low growl emanated from his chest, “That’s shit. You shouldn’t have to worry about things like that. There should be a special place in Azkaban for knotheads who forcefully mark Omegas.”

I sat up, leaning my head on his shoulder, letting out an involuntary coo to calm his anger. It seemed to work as his muscles relaxed and his head dropped to rest on mine. With our hands still clasped together, a comfortable silence fell over us as we gazed across the waters. I was suddenly very grateful that I had broken my rules the day I met the twins.


	4. Chapter Four

As time went on, George and Angelina grew closer and, while I missed hanging out with him as much as we did in the beginning, it was nice to see him smile as he talked to her and blush when she would fix his tie or robes. I kept a careful watch on them, however, as I did intent on fulfilling my threat if George got hurt.

My days were filled with creatures, Fred, and Hagrid and I couldn’t be happier with that lineup. Hagrid and I were preparing the Skrewts to be used in the last task in the Triwizard Tournament, even though no one would tell us explicitly what the task was. I had managed to convince both Fred and George to stop skipping classes, even if their grades never suffered for it.

Everything seemed to be clicking along until the other two schools arrived at Hogwarts. The girls from the Beauxbatons Academy were a little stuck up and a bit too fancy for my tastes, but the real problem came with the boys from Durmstrong. I walked into the Great Hall after the two schools had their grand entrances as I was busy tending to the Beauxbatons winged-horses and I nearly choked on the overpowering scent of Alphas. Apparently, nearly all students from Durmstrong were Alphas and they didn’t bother with scent suppressants. It burned my nose and made my hackles rise.

All of the Beauxbatons present were Betas. I was told that their school had a handful of Omegas that were of age to join the tournament, but they weren’t allowed to come to Hogwarts for some reason. I suspected that their headmaster knew of the Alpha-concentrated Durmstrong Institute and wanted to protect them.

Because the Durmstrong boys – at least the majority of them – were brazen and seemed to think that, since I was an Omega, that I wouldn’t be able to resist them. At first, I blamed it on their upbringing. It was obvious that they were taught that Omegas were put on the planet to serve Alphas, a notion that undoubtably came from their Alpha Headmaster, Igor Karkaroff. Luckily, Dumbledore managed to persuade Karkaroff to put his students on scent suppressants during their time at Hogwarts, so Ginny and I could stand to be in the Great Hall with them.

I got increasingly frustrated over the intrusive stares, “accidental” brushes and bumps, and the flirtatious and sometimes downright disgusting comments and questions. The final straw was when one of them grabbed my ass when I was walking out of the courtyard after giving Dumbledore an update on the Skrewts. I had found him and Karkaroff walking there.

A primal growl tore through my throat as I whipped around, gripping his hand. I felt my magic shoot to my hand, as my hold tightened with inhuman strength. The resulting crunch and snaps brought a smile to my face as the boy – who was built like a giant – howled, ripping his hand from mine.

“Ah, you fucking bitch!” He yelled with a thick accent, drawing the attention of everyone else in the hall.

“Don’t touch things that aren’t yours,” I hissed, slapping off a hand that landed on my shoulder. I snapped my gaze to the offending person, who turned out to be Karkaroff, towering over us with a stern look on his face. He sneered at me before gesturing for the boy to show him his hand.

He growled and spat out, “You better be glad you didn’t do this to Krum, Omega.”

I opened my mouth to reply, but Dumbledore’s calm voice rang out beside us, “Now, Karkaroff, I’m sure Miss Wardwell had a reason for her actions. She doesn’t attack unprovoked.”

I huffed, “He grabbed my ass, so I broke his hand,” I summarized, crossing my arms over my chest.

Karkaroff laughed loudly at this, “And what do you expect? He’s an Alpha, you’re an Omega. It’s just in his nature.”

I gritted my teeth, holding back the magic that eagerly lapped against the inside of my skin, craving to launch itself at that condescending smirk. I clenched my fists, my nails gouging into my palm.

“Inappropriate touching is not allowed in this school,” Dumbledore firmly stated, “No matter the designation of those involved. Given how much unwanted attention young Athena has had to deal with recently, I do not fault her reaction.”

Karkaroff scoffed, “Do you not plan on disciplining her? She broke my student’s hand,” He hissed.

I barked out a laugh in disbelief, catching their attention, but before I could respond, Dumbledore stated, “In fairness, either both individuals face consequence or neither does. If I recall, in an early conversation you cited the nature of an Omega to be overtly emotional with the tendency to overreact. So, by your own flawed logic, Miss Athena reacted within her nature…just as your student has. And I must warn you that your student would face harsher punishment than Miss Athena since she can rightfully claim she acted in self-defense.”

Karkaroff’s face turned red in anger the more Dumbledore talked. When he was done, he sent me a final glare before turning around and stalking away with a huff. Becoming aware of the amount of eyes focused on me, I did the same, stomping out of the courtyard with the intent of making it to Hagrid’s hut where I could rant away my frustrations to him.

I was almost there when Ginny came dashing up to me, my expression softened at the sight of her, but grew concerned when I saw the annoyance on her face.

“Fred and George are in the hospital wing.”

“What?!” My stomach and heart seemed to drop.

“They’re okay,” She added quickly, placing a hand on my shoulder, “They’re just…eh, old looking.”

“What?” I repeated, now more confused than ever.

On our way to the wing, she filled me in, telling me about their grand plan of using a simple aging potion to be able to put their names in the Goblet of Fire. It wasn’t long ago that Hagrid and Filch had brought in the chest that contained the goblet into the Great Hall and set it up. Only students aged 17 and up, the age of adulthood in the wizarding world, were able to put their names in for the drawl. The twins were 16, not due to be 17 until this coming April. As expected – for everyone but them – the stunt backfired and they turned into elderly versions of themselves, with long grey hair and beards.

By the time we reached the doors of the hospital wing, I was fuming. My logical side understood that it was harmless, Madam Pomfrey probably had a simple and easy fix to their conditions, and there was no way it ever would have worked. But my emotions were running high and my inner Omega had jumped to the forefront of my mind as soon as I heard their names and hospital in the same sentence. What ifs ran rampant through me. _What if it had worked? What if they were put in the tournament?_ The Tri-Wizard Tournament was deadly and it’s tasks were grizzly, often putting the contestants in the hospital. The thought of that happening to either of them, especially Fred, sent pangs of panic through my heart which quickly turned into more anger.

We entered into the large room, with Ginny quite a distance away from me as my scent was no doubt incredibly bitter. My eyes landed on them, smiling and joking with the small group of students huddled around their bed. They were already almost back to normal with no beards and young faces, the last hint of their stunt was found in their still-grey hair, even though its length was normal.

“If you’re not Fred or George, I would clear out,” Ginny called out to the group as my eyes locked onto Fred’s. His eyes went slightly wide as he took in my expression, glancing at George who looked in similar shock. I waited until the small group fled, catching a glimpse of Angelina leave with them.

I walked over to their bed and Fred immediately tried to calm me down, both of them catching my scent.

“It’s ok, Athena,” He started, “We’re fine. See?”

“Yeah,” George chimed in, “No harm no foul.”

“No harm?” I repeated, seething even though my voice was deceptively level, “So you didn’t try to enter a deadly tournament that claims lives almost every year it’s in practice?”

They both looked at each other, trying to come up with an answer.

George finally spoke, as he was better at wording things, “Yes, but it didn’t work. We weren’t really expecting it to…it was just a bit of fun.” I narrowed my eyes at his confession. Ginny had told me how the boys boasted that it would definitely work against the protests of Hermione. Whether they were lying then or now didn’t matter to me.

“What if it HAD?!” I snapped and my voice echoed in the large, mainly empty room, “What if it had worked and one of you had to enter the tournament? Do you know why the age limit is 17, hmm? It’s so the Ministry can defend this godforsaken tournament and say ‘oh, well at least it doesn’t kill children!’, because for some fucking reason, if you’re 17 in the wizarding world, you’re an adult. But do you think that would matter to your mother when she got shipped your body in a pine box, hmm? You think she would say, ‘oh well at least they were 17!’. Did you THINK OF THAT?”

I paced in front of them as I went on, a slight rumble rolled in the ground underneath us as my magic leaked out. I couldn’t hold it back and the words fell from my mouth like bile, “Oh, but it was just a bit of fun,” I spat sarcastically, “Do you think it would be fun having to watch one of you get ripped apart by a task? Did you think about your family or friends’ reactions?”

I was quickly losing steam no matter how hard I tried to keep it up, my anger melting away to raw underlying emotions like betrayal and panic.

“You only thought of yourselves, but you’re not alone. You have people that care about you and what happens to you. W-why would you…why would you take that risk? All for a stupid joke,” I had stopped pacing and was staring at my hands, trying to will my tears to stay in the brim of my lashes.

I didn’t realize that I was standing in front of Fred as he sat on the edge of the hospital bed until I felt his warm hands pull at mine. I allowed him to pull me onto his lap where I sat with my legs in George’s lap.

“We’re sorry, Love,” He murmured, holding me and smoothing his hand over my hair as George gently rubbed my legs. At the sound of his voice, I had finally lost the battle against my tears and they streamed down my cheeks as I buried my face into Fred’s chest.

I couldn’t remember the last time I cried. I learned early on to never let Uncle see me cry as it would only make the punishments worse. But the thought of losing them affected me in ways that were new to me and that alone made me panic as well. I hadn’t realized how much importance I had place on the twins until it was too late. _The moment something becomes valuable to you is the moment that it can be used against you._ I grimaced as another memory with my Uncle flashed through my eyes. This time it was regarding a stray cat I had befriended when I was young, and I pushed the memory away before I could think of what happened to it.

“We didn’t mean to hurt you,” Fred went on as George seemed to be content with staying in the background, “We just thought of it as one of our pranks.”

I sighed, moving my head to the side so my words weren’t muffled, “I…might have overreacted a bit,” I mumbled, my face growing hot with embarrassment of my outburst.

“Nah, we deserved it,” George finally spoke up, sending me a small smile.

I breathed out a chuckle before shaking my head, “Just hasn’t been the best day. A Durmstrong knothead grabbed my ass and Karkaroff basically blamed it on me being an Omega. He also apparently thinks that all Omegas are over-emotional and blow things out of proportion…and I guess I just proved him right.”

Fred’s body went rigid when I explained about the Durmstrong boy and a light growl escaped him. After glancing at the murderous look in his twin’s eye, George spoke up.

“Karkaroff can fuck off,” He declared, “Plus you’re not usually over-emotional…or emotional at all really. You’re the most level-headed person we know.”

I sighed again, still feeling the effects of my raw emotions, “I’ll just be glad when things go back to normal here.”

“I told you it wouldn’t work!” Hermione’s voice called out and I instinctively jumped up from Fred’s lap before she, Ron, and Harry came into view.

“No need for the lecture,” George stated, holding his hands up in surrender before nodding to me, “We already got more than an earful from this one.”

“And you’ll probably get another earful when Mum catches wind of it,” Ron added with a smirk on his lips.

Both twins groaned at the news. Fred leaned his head forward until his forehead hit my side. I automatically smoothed a hand through his hair, now becoming more and more of his original red color.

“Hey Athena,” Harry greeted me as I hadn’t talked to him in a while and I gave him a nod.

“I still can’t believe you two tried it,” Hermione shook her head as Madam Pomfrey walked over to check the twins’ progress.

“You two can return to your classes,” She dismissed them and gave the rest of us a smile before walking away.

George reluctantly stood up, but Fred remained rooted to his spot with his head still resting on my hip. I stepped away from him, causing him to look up at me with a slight pout, which made a smile form on my face.

“Come on,” I chuckled, “I’ll walk with you, ya goober,” I added on, knowing how much delight it brought him for me to use my “weird American words”. As expected, he smirked and jumped up.

….

A few days later I was stumbling through the Forbidden Forest exhausted and heading back to the castle. A small group of forest trolls had migrated from the deepest region of the forest into the centaur’s territory and they had asked for my assistance with sending them back peacefully. It took about two hours for the trolls to realize that I was talking to them and another hour to realize that I understood them. The rest of the process was just as slow, but only resulted in one troll being taken down by the centaurs and the rest left peacefully.

Firenze, the blonde centaur who held the least contempt and hatred for humans, was the one to seek me out, much to the displeasure of the others. He walked beside me, adamant about seeing me to the edge of the forest which I was grateful for.

“Thank you for your help,” He nodded with a small smile at me once the castle was in view, “That gift of yours is truly extraordinary.”

“Certainly comes in handy,” I agreed, “Thank you for convincing the others to let me help. Have a good night,” I stated as it was almost dinnertime.

I turned to leave but he caught my arm, I looked back at him puzzled. He leaned down to me with a sudden serious look on his face.

“You have a good, kind soul,” He stated, “But the Old Magic within you will bring your demise. Your path has been etched in the stars from the moment of your birth and I hope, that when the time comes, you will be strong enough to give your life.”

I froze, staring into his light eyes that were so sincere, it sent a shiver down my spine. _Old Magic? Where have I heard of that before?_ I gently detached myself from him, watching as he turned and trotted off. I didn’t try to question him as I knew I would never get a straight answer. I shook the unsettling feeling off, filing the information away for now.

I was walking back to Hagrid’s hut, stifling a yawn, when a large figure approached me. I grimaced when I saw it was Viktor Krum. Ron, along with most students, had fangirled about the famous Quidditch player at first. For as large as he was, he wasn’t loud and obnoxious like his other fellow students and he hadn’t messed with me as of yet. _Guess that’s about to change_. I thought warily.

“Hello,” He greeted, standing before me, “I wanted to introduce myself,” His accent was thick like the others as he held out a massive hand for me to shake, “Viktor Krum.”

I released a frustrated sigh, crossing my hands over my chest, “Listen. I just spent the past 6 hours talking to trolls. I don’t have the time or energy to deal with more Durmstrong shit. So, kindly, fuck off,” I hissed out, moving to walk past him. I was surprised to hear a deep rumble of a chuckle behind me before he quickly caught up to me in a few strides.

“My intent was not to bother you,” He stated, looking down at me as we walked, “I would like to apologize for the actions of my fellow classmates. We’re not all ‘knotheads’ as you call us.”

“Could have fooled me,” I muttered, adjusting my bag while trying to maintain a healthy distance from him.

“I didn’t think anyone was allowed in the forest,” He continued on and it looked like I wasn’t shaking him off anytime soon, “It’s too dangerous, no?”

“It’s part of my job,” I recited, eying him warily. I was waiting for something to happen, perhaps for a group of his friends to come popping out from somewhere. I kept my hand on the hilt of my wand just in case.

“What are you doing out here anyways?” I asked, glancing at him.

“I came to talk to you,” He said simply, “Hermione said you were usually with Hagrid during his lessons, but when I went to Hagrid, he said you were in the forest. So, I just waited and watched the forest line. I was about to give up when I saw you come out.”

“Creepy,” I commented, giving him a sideways glare.

Again, he chuckled as I seemed to amuse him, “You know you’re very different from all the Omegas I’ve met,” He sighed, but quickly added, “In a good way, of course.”

I snorted, “You know, I didn’t expect you to go the whole ‘you’re not like other girls’ route. I thought you’d have a better pickup game than that.”

He was quiet for a moment as if in thought before he said, “Huh, to be honest, I’m not used to disappointing women. This may be a first.”

I looked at him and saw a wide grin on his face as he struggled to keep his laughter in at the incredulous look on my face. Once I knew he was joking, I let a small chuckle out, shaking my head. Hagrid’s hut was finally in view and he turned to me.

“I told the rest of my classmates to back off of you,” He explained, “Hopefully it’ll help,” He paused, “And hopefully no other bones will have to be broken,” He winked at me.

I breathed out a laugh, “No promises here.”

He held out his hand once again, tentatively this time. I sighed and, against my better judgement, shook it firmly. He pumped his fist in the air victoriously and I snorted, shaking my head. _Boys._ As he left, I went into Hagrid’s hut, ready to relay the events of today. However, I didn’t notice a figure watching mine and Krum’s interaction before stalking off in a huff.

Turns out I missed quite a bit when I was in the forest, including the naming of the contestants for the Tri-Wizard Tournament. My jaw dropped when Hagrid revealed that Hogwarts had two champions and one of them was Harry Potter, which should have been impossible. And apparently there was a Yule Ball which will be held on Christmas day. Hagrid encouraged me to go but fancy dresses, crowds of people, and dancing sounded like a recipe for disaster to me. I resigned myself to going however, since Fred would probably want me to.

After talking with Hagrid about everything that happened that day well into the night, I retired to my chamber, my head swimming with all the events. I had forgotten to ask Hagrid what Old Magic was, but after thinking it over, I decided not to bring it up as it may worry him if it was something bad. And if I was apparently going to die over it, it must be very bad.


	5. Chapter Five

“Mum said you can come over for Christmas break!” Ginny basically threw herself into my arms. I laughed at her enthusiasm and wrapped my arms around her.

“Are you sure I won’t be a bother?” I asked her as she released me.

She scoffed, “Of course not. She wants to meet you anyways.”

I genuinely smiled at this. We were standing outside with our boots planted in the freshly fallen snow, waiting for the others to join us before heading into Hogsmead. The twins had always talked about how fun it was to go into the town so I was excited. I was dressed winter leggings, a thick cream sweater, and an olive-green coat.

“You look amazing by the way,” She commented, rubbing her hands together for warmth.

I smiled outwardly at her. I had put in extra effort. I had done a minimal makeup look using products I borrowed from Hermione and braided my hair to the side, leaving out two pieces of my long bangs to frame my face. It was nice that my efforts were noticed, but it was my reason for making it in the first place that unsettled me.

Ever since the day I spent in the forest negotiating with the trolls and also the day that the champions were selected, Fred had been distant with me. He kept making excuses for not hanging out and would leave the room not long after I entered it. Even when we passed each other in the courtyard, he looked the other way when I tried to give him a smile. Every encounter broke my heart a little more. George was normal at least and I knew that he knew what was going on, but claimed that Fred was just working through some stuff and that he’d be back to normal soon. I didn’t believe him though and I couldn’t help but feel betrayed in some way.

So, I dolled myself up, knowing that I would see him today. Some pathetic part of me just wanted his eyes on me…if only for a moment.

“Did you bring gloves?” I asked Ginny, who was still rubbing her hands.

She shook her head, “No, I thought they were in my coat pocket, but I must have left them in my dorm.”

I sighed, taking off my own gloves and handing them to her. When she gave me a look, I simply shrugged, “I have another pair in my bag. If my hands get cold, I’ll put them on.”

She seemed satisfied with that and thanked me as she tugged them on, sighing at the warmth my hands left in them. I lied, of course, only Hermione would bring multiple sets of gloves for a trip to the town, but I didn’t want her to get cold. She had become a sort of surrogate little sister to me.

Hermione, Ron, and Harry came bounding over to us. Behind them were the twins, Angelina, Lee, and some 6th year Gryffindor girl I vaguely remember seeing in the Gryffindor common room a few times. I frowned for a second, before schooling my expression again to match those around me. My eyes flicked to Fred’s, who stared at me for a moment, seemingly surprised at my appearance before looking down at his feet.

“Everyone ready?” Hermione asked, before we all started the trek to the town.

Ginny was happily chatting to me about the different shops and things to do. Once we entered Hogsmead, I was whisked away by her leading me from shop to shop. It was a whirlwind of colors and products. I found myself imagining what the twin’s joke shop would look like nested in between the stores, even though they were leaning towards Diagon Alley instead of Hogsmead. It sent a sudden pang through me, but I ignored it as Ginny’s happiness seemed to rub off on me.

I caught her eying a beautiful necklace with a light pink diamond pendant in one of the storefronts. My gaze fell to the price tag of 105 galleons.

“Oh, this would go perfectly with my dress for the Yule Ball,” She whispered. She had told me that Neville had asked her to go and she was excited for it, even if she was a bit nervous.

I smiled at her, before whispered back to her, “Merry Christmas.”

She looked at me confused, but gasped as I entered the expensive store.

“No, no, no,” She tugged on my arm, “You can’t…it’s – it’s way too much. I could never repay you.”

I turned to her, “You don’t repay gifts,” I tutted, flagging down a store clerk.

She protested more, but I gave her a look, “Ginny, to be frank, I’m loaded. I inherited my parent’s money, then inherited my uncle’s money. I don’t have any family to spend it on and if I want to spend it on someone who has basically become my sister, then I will.”

She looked at my shocked as I dealt with the clerk, getting her to wrap the necklace up in a box and bag. I directed her to charge the amount to the Wardwell account at Gringotts after she scanned my ID. After the amount was approved, she handed the bag over to me with a fake smile and a receipt. After everything, I turned back to Ginny, holding the bag out to her.

She paused, looking from me to the bag before enveloping me into a bear hug. I smiled as I held her. I don’t think she would ever know how truly grateful I was for her.

“I think of you as a sister too, you know,” She said, “Merlin knows I need one.”

We both laughed and headed to the Three Broomsticks to meet the others for something called a butterbeer. We were the last to join the crew at one of the large tables in the center of the bar. I sat beside Hermione, with Ginny on my other side and Fred across from me.

“How do you like Hogsmead?” Hermione asked, “We already ordered you guys butterbeer.” She pushed two large pints of frothy amber liquid to us.

“It’s great,” I shrugged, “To be honest, I kept envisioning what the joke shop will look like,” I gave a half-smile to Fred and George and I was delighted when their faces lit up.

“Better than any other shop, of course,” Fred smirked and George nodded.

Ron spoke up, “Are you two still going on about that? Mum will have your heads.”

George scoffed, “What does she expect us to do?”

“Sit in a cubical at the Ministry?” Fred added.

“Chase dragons in Egypt?” George scoffed.

“You guys couldn’t handle Bowtruckles, I’d hate to see you with a dragon,” I snickered, recalling the memory of introducing the benign creatures to them.

“Hey,” George pointed a finger at me, “That thing gave me a splinter on purpose.”

Fred and I shared a chuckle, “Yes, they’re known for their bloodlust.”

As the twins and I joked around, a sense of relief crept over me. Things were getting back to normal…or so I thought.

“So, everyone got their Yule Ball dates?” Lee asked the group after a moment, to which Ron and Harry groaned.

“No, of course not,” Ron complained, “It’s too bloody complicated.”

Angelina laughed, “George just chucked a paper ball at me and asked me.”

The Gryffindor girl spoke up for the first time as well, smiling at us, “Yeah and Fred just nudged me in the side during Breakfast and asked me.”

Both girls on either side of me stiffened at the news and I felt their eyes on me as I maintained my forced smile. Fred wouldn’t look at me, suddenly finding his butterbeer interesting.

Ginny broke the silent tension that was building by blurting out, “I’m going with Neville. He, uh, asked me and was really sweet about it.”

Hermione nodded, “Viktor asked me.”

Ron scoffed, “And you said yes?”

“Of course I said yes,” She snapped.

At the mention of Viktor’s name, Fred locked eyes with me with a mixture of confusion and anger.

“Anyways!” Ginny’s voice cut through Ron and Hermione’s bickering, “I got an early Christmas gift from Athena. Can I show them?”

She looked at me and I nodded, helping her to take the box out of the bag. Once she revealed the necklace, everyone in the group gasped.

“It’s gorgeous,” Hermione smiled, examining the pendent.

“That must have been over 100 galleons,” Angelina breathed out, “How the hell did you – “

She stopped herself when I narrowed my eyes at her. I helped Ginny clasp it behind her neck and smiled at her beaming face.

“You know, we don’t need your charity,” Fred spat out, causing everyone to look at him. He was glared at me while I looked at him confused and wide-eyed.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I snapped back, my confusion quickly turning to anger.

“Forget it,” He sneered, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest.

“Mate,” George warned him, but he was apparently too riled up because he went on.

“Is that all we were to you? A charity case? I mean, it’s no secret that the Wardwells are well off. One of the richest families in America, right?” He clenched his fists, looking at me like he hated me. I didn’t understand what was happening and every single word he said hit me like a bullet.

“Is that what you think?” I whispered, racking my brain over what I could have done to him to warrant this, but he went on. I stood up from my chair and away from my untouched butterbeer.

“I mean, I suppose when you were the protégé of a man who blatantly supported Death Eaters, you have to change your image somehow.”

I physically stumbled back at his words as the rest of the group, save for the Gryffindor girl tore into him. Their angry words and scents were muffled to me as a low buzzing sound filled my ears. My bones were itching and my lungs felt compressed as I struggled to get air in and out. I held my hands over my ears as I just wanted it to stop. I wanted to run out of the bar and keep running until my legs couldn’t carry me, but feet wouldn’t move. I closed my eyes and gave in to the magic that was crackling inside of me.

Suddenly, the air shifted and everything stopped. I opened my eyes to see that I was no longer in the Three Broomsticks, but in Dumbledore’s office. I collapsed onto a chair, my head spinning, as Fawks flew over to me. I numbly pet him, scratching behind his feathers like he liked before Dumbledore walked in, surprised at my presence.

“Miss Athena,” He spoke, sitting down at his chair, taking in my shell-shocked appearance, “Is everything alright?”

I swallowed before asking, “What is Old Magic?”

I heard him take in a sharp breath before my vision turned to black and I felt my body slump to the floor.

…

My mind slowly returned to consciousness and I struggled to form a coherent thought for a while as my senses came back into hazy focus. _What the fuck happened?_ A light groan escaped my lips as I automatically tried to take stock of any injuries. At first, my mind drifted back in time and I was convinced that I would open my eyes to see the familiar dark basement ceiling of Uncle’s house. But as my eyes cracked open, I was met with an unfamiliar pale white ceiling. _Shit. Hogwarts…Hogsmead..Ginny…Fred..Old Magic._ A string of curses flooded my thoughts as my mind finally caught up to what happened. Part of me wished I truly was in Uncle’s basement, recovering from whatever punishment he used against me. At least I knew what to expect from him most of the time.

“Miss Wardwell?” McGonagall’s voice reached my ears, and I made an effort to tilt my head towards the sound. My eyes found hers as she stood next to the bed I was lying on, “Oh, thank goodness. You’re awake.”

“In some form,” I managed to croak out. My body was troublingly weak. Even moving my mouth to speak felt like struggling through a pit of thick clay mud.

“Here, Dear,” Madam Pomfrey appeared on my other side, holding a vial of liquid, “This should help with the exhaustion.”

I swallowed the bitter potion without hesitation. McGonagall left, promising to return quickly, and I relaxed, trying to will the strength back into my muscles. I must have dozed off again, because when I opened my eyes, McGonagall had returned with Dumbledore and Snape. All three were talking in hushed tones at the end of my bed. I slowly sat up, thankfully feeling the affects of the potion, and they stopped when they noticed my movement.

“So,” I slightly panted out after I got settled, “Where am I? What…happened?”

“You’re in a private room in the hospital wing,” McGonagall answered, coming to stand by my side, “You passed out after you apparated into Dumbledore’s office. We were hoping you could fill in the rest.”

Dumbledore responded, casting his kind eyes, which were now laced with concern…or sadness, upon mine, “You asked me about Old Magic before you passed out. Where did you hear that term, my dear?”

“Firenze,” I stated, but shook my head, “It was familiar to me though, like I’ve heard it before, but I don’t remember where.”

“What do you know about it?” Snape interjected, narrowing his eyes at me.

“Nothing,” I said a little too quickly. I cringed and cast my eyes down to the sheet covering my legs. Panic started to creep into my skin as I added in a soft voice, “But…I think I know what it – what it might be referring to.”

There was a pause and I could sense them looking at one another. Judging from the slight twinge in their scents, they were unsettled. Dumbledore walked over to stand on my other side and gently took my chin, turning it up to meet his gaze.

“Old Magic refers to a different kind of magic. Sadly, there is not a lot of information about its practice as it was only created and used by the original Salem witches and wizards. Magic has been around a long time, dating back as far as our historical records go, but it is commonly accepted that it was changed – albeit slightly – through time. It is said that the Salem witches did not respond kindly to the witch hunts targeted to their kind, so they used Dark Magic to harness the ability to use Old Magic, which was the oldest and most powerful version of the magic we know today,” He spoke solemnly.

I soaked in his words, nodding along. I knew my family were descendants of a group of witches and wizards that originated in Salem and were famous through the grizzly witch trials. Uncle always spoke of our heritage like it somehow made us better than other witches and wizards. But I didn’t use any sort of Dark Magic to get my abilities, as far as I knew, I was born with it.

Dumbledore went on, “Dealing with Dark Magic is always risky and it often backfires on the user or requires a cost too high for them to pay. Old Magic is highly unpredictable and unstable. It doesn’t respond to spells, wands, or incantations and, in the few recorded cases of it, “ He paused and my heart dropped slightly at the look of regret flickering on his features, “It has lead to the user’s death in some way.”

“That’s what Firenze said,” I muttered, looking down at my hands.

Snape spoke up, directing his words to Dumbledore, “If the Ministry finds out she has Old Magic, there’s no telling what they’d do.”

Dumbledore grew quiet, seeming to think and McGonagall spoke up, “Can you show us? Just for confirmation.”

I looked between the three, Snape slowly drew out his wand and nodded at me. I relaxed my hold on the thrumming magic inside of me and directed it to my fingertips. After a moment, tendrils of blue light seeped out of them, some curling around my fingertips and some slowly dancing in the air.

“Can you control it?” Dumbledore whispered as his eyes were locked on my hands.

I moved my fingertips, feeling the slight twinge of blue creep over my eyes. With a soft pop, the tendrils all gathered onto my palms and morphed into blue flames licking the air. I poured the flames onto the crisp, white sheet. It spread over the material like water, changing the color of the fabric into a deep blue. With a final burst of effort and focus, I drew the magic back into my fingertips and everything returned to normal, save for the sheet color and my energy level. I let out a sigh, wishing that Madam Pomfrey would give me more of the strength potion.

“Incredible,” McGonagall whispered, as the others looked at me with shock or confusion. I shrank back from their stares and suddenly I was bombarded with more questions about my control and my abilities.

“How about we let Miss Wardwell tell her story? I’m sure that will answer some of our questions,” Dumbledore said, taking a seat on the edge of my bed, McGonagall doing the same on the other side and Snape standing with his arms crossed at the end of the bed.

I nodded, blowing out a breath while wondering where to begin and what all to tell them. After a glance at Dumbledore, I decided to begin with the tales told by my parents and Uncle about my first incidents with magic.

“According to my parents and uncle, I did accidental magic when I was about two or three. It was slightly early, but it was just normal things like changing the color of my toys or making things move around. The…other magic didn’t show up until I was about five. Apparently, I had made friends with a stray cat and would spend hours talking to it outside in the yard. One day, my mom came outside to check on me and found me stooping over the cat with blue light pouring out of my hands. She said it looked like it had been attacked by a neighborhood dog or a coyote…she said it looked dead, mangled. But I repaired its wounds and it got up like nothing had happened to it.”

“Afterwards, I fainted and she called my dad, who was at work. By the time he made it home, I was awake and tired. They had no clue what happened or how I did what I did. They wanted to take me to a doctor, but my uncle stepped in and stopped them. I remember them talking for a long time in the kitchen while I was supposed to be asleep, sometimes they were yelling and sometimes they were quiet, but they were still talking by the time I woke up the next morning.”

“My parents explained to me that there was a special kind of magic inside me and it was important to keep it a secret, even to other wizards because they wouldn’t understand. My mom didn’t want me to use it anymore since she said it would make me sick, but my uncle was always asking me to do things with it when mom and dad weren’t around. He told me I should be proud of it. When I was about 7, there was a clear divide between my uncle and my parents. My parents wanted me to live a normal wizarding life, to go to Ilvermorny and get a job within the wizarding world. They wanted to pretend I didn’t have this other magic inside of me. My uncle wanted to expand my powers, claiming that it was my birthright and honored our family name. He was constantly fighting with my dad, saying that I had the potential to be the most powerful witch in my generation, but that they were squandering my talent.”

I paused, my memories replaying in my mind, “Before all this, my dad and uncle were close. When I would ask about my grandparents, my dad would always tell me that my uncle basically raised him.”

Flashes of memories of my uncle and dad rough housing before dinner or teasing each other while mom and I laughed at them, entered my mind. _We were happy. A happy family for seven years. I wish I had more memories of it._

I shook my head and continued, “It all happened so fast that night…and I don’t remember everything. Just the arguing in the kitchen again. I was standing in the doorway when it happened. My uncle used the Killing Curse on my parents and just like that, they were gone. The rest of my memories are of my uncle teaching me magic and trying to train me to use my other magic. He would use various methods, most including severe punishments if I failed. I guess I always had some sort of control over my…other magic, but my uncle’s methods did help with it. After his death, I didn’t know what to do, but apparently the MACUSA had been watching my uncle’s place and when they noticed an influx of magic, they checked it out and found me, still locked in the basement.”

Dumbledore lightly interjected, “I’m very glad that I have quite a few associates in the Magical Congress. If it wasn’t for one of them contacting me about you, I may have never gotten to meet you.”

I gave him a small smile, “I always feel it inside of me,” I admit, “The only time my control slips is when my emotions run high,” I grimaced, “When I presented as an Omega, Uncle doubled down on his lessons. He said that I couldn’t afford for my designation to affect my control or abilities.”

“So what was it you were doing before apparated into Hogwarts, which should have been impossible,” Snape spoke lowly and I winced.

“My emotions got the best of me,” I confessed, being purposefully vague. At this, I felt him try to enter my mind. I glared at him as his efforts were unsuccessful. He had tried the same thing when I first arrived at Hogwarts and was highly suspicious of my highly shielded mind.

“Like I stated when we first met,” I snapped at him, “My uncle was persistent that I become highly skilled in Occlumency very early on in my lessons. Stop. Trying.”

He glared back at me, but Dumbledore broke our staring contest, “Thank you, Miss Athena, for telling us. You truly are one of the most powerful and strong witches of your generation, and not because of the reasons your uncle chose to focus on. I think it would be best to keep your Old Magic a secret between us. You can come to one of us if anything else happens or if your level of control slips. For now, rest. You may soon become a part of something far bigger than any of us can predict.”

I furrowed my brows at his last sentence, but decided not to press it. It felt like my head was already swimming with too much information. I laid my head back down and closed my eyes.


	6. Chapter Six

After spending a few more hours in the hospital wing, I got the all clear to leave. I was on my way to Hagrid’s for a well deserved cup of hot chocolate, when Ginny came sprinting at me when she caught sight of me.

“What happened? Where’d you go? I didn’t even know you could apparate! It’s been hours,” She said in a rush.

I smiled weakly at her, “Yeah…yeah I can apparate. I guess the bar just got a little…much for me. I got a massive headache from it though. I just got out of the hospital wing for it.”

It broke me a little to have to lie to her, but I couldn’t tell her the truth. What would I even say? _Oh yeah, I was born with Old Magic, which is apparently lethal and unstable. Don’t tell anyone because the Ministry might flip out and kill me._ It was too much even for me to comprehend.

“Oh,” Her eyes flooded with concern, “Yeah, Fred was ridiculous…I – I don’t even know where any of that came from. You know, none of us think you look at us like charity cases and you can’t help who your family is or what they do. Merlin, all of us are mad at him, even George! He had no right.”

My smile became a little more genuine at her words. Even if I had no one else, as long as I had her on my side, I think I would be okay. Seeing as she didn’t have any classes, I took her to Hagrid’s with me and we shared a large mug of hot chocolate. Watching Ginny’s face as Hagrid told her about the time Fluffy had a hairball while a sleepy Fang relaxed his head in my lap filled me with a content warmth that I desperately needed.

That warmth didn’t last however, it never does. When Ginny and I left the hut, it was quickly becoming dark and after I said my goodnights to her, I found myself atop the Astronomy tower for the second time that school year. This time, I grabbed an enchanted woolen blanket that is always warm from my room and wrapped it around me as I sat, tilting my head up to gaze at the stars. For a moment, I wondered if the centaurs were doing the same, reading some sort of premonition or prophecy in the bundles of twinkling lights.

Again, I didn’t know how long I was sitting there, watching the unmoving stars when I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. My breath caught for a second, but I released it when I realized it was George. _Of course…it wouldn’t be him._ I closed my eyes, waiting for him to make it up.

“Hey George,” I called out as soon as he reached the top step.

He paused, “How the hell did you know it was me? You have your eyes closed.”

I smiled, opening my eyes to look at him, “Guess you’ll never know. What are you doing here?”

He grinned, but shivered, placing his hands under his arms, “Oh, I just thought it was a nice night to freeze to death.”

I snorted and made room for him under the blanket, patting the spot beside me, “This time, I thought ahead.”

He quickly sat down crosslegged beside me and joined me in the cover of warmth. I then realized that the blanket was most likely only built for one person, as we had to huddle together for it to cover all of us. I didn’t mind it though and neither did he as he causally placed his arm over my shoulders, pulling me closer into him. After we settled in, we both tilted our heads back to look up at the night sky.

“I’m sorry,” He said after a moment, his warm breath turning to a misty cloud, “About Fred earlier.”

I sighed, “It’s not your fault.”

“Not yours either,” He said pointedly and sighed as well, “He just…freaked out when he saw you talking and laughing with Krum. He started questioning why you were friends with us, why you liked him when all these other Alphas, who are…admittedly stronger and a lot richer, are chasing after you.”

I scoffed, “So he said all those things because he was jealous? And he asked….uh, what’s her face to the Yule Ball. I mean…I didn’t really want to go, but I would have…with him.”

He shook his head, “I tried my best to talk him out of asking her and to stop avoiding you, but...well, you know how he is.”

“Stubborn,” I responded.

He nodded, “Thick-headed.”

“Mulish.”

“Pigheaded.”

I turned to look at him, “Oh, I like that one.”

He grinned at me and snickered, but grew a bit serious as he went on, “I…I think he feels like he doesn’t deserve you. That he couldn’t possibly ever have you, so he’s pushing you away.”

I rested my head on his shoulder and whispered, “But he already had me.”

He rested his head on top of mine, offering no words, just his warmth and comforting scent. I snuggled in closer to him, earning a chuckle from him. Without thinking, I tucked my face into his neck, inhaling his scent and, to my surprise, his body relaxed further. We spent a while like that, him holding me while I was curled up at his side.

“I’m coming to the Burrow for Christmas break,” I mumbled into his neck, my words muffled.

“You what?” I could hear the grin in his voice and rolled my eyes.

I lifted my head up and froze when I was greeted with his face only inches from mine. His deep brown eyes were similar yet easily different from Fred’s. His was clearer with flecks of amber highlighting it. They were dilated slightly in response to my scent. I could feel his warmth breath on my lips.

“I – I’m coming to the Burrow…for Christmas break,” I heard myself repeat.

He looked just as affected by our proximity as I was, his gaze flickering to my lips before he stammered out, “Uh, oh..y-yeah. Ginny told us….That’s great. Really great.”

I blinked, suddenly snapping out of my trance and quickly tucked my head back onto his shoulder, my eyes wide. His breathing was slightly quicker and my breathing did the same as we both stayed in that position, neither one of us daring to make another move.

After a long pause, I tentatively said, “Angelina seems…nice.”

He nodded, releasing a long breath, “Yeah. Yeah, she is.”

“Good,” I nodded.

After that, we slowly shifted back into normal conversation for a while before calling it a night. We went our separate ways and I found myself laying on my bed, closing my eyes and willing sleep to come to me.

…

After the day of whirlwind of emotions and revelations, I threw myself back into work and had a surprising introduction to another Weasley, Charlie. He was the second oldest Weasley sibling and had an admittedly adorable and slightly obsessive enthusiasm for dragons. He met with Hagrid and I to talk about bringing in four dragons for the Tri-Wizard Tournament and, after determining that the small clearing in the west end of the Forbidden Forest was the optimal place to house them, he returned with several other wizards and four magnificent dragons in enchanted and reinforced cages.

“A Swedish Short-Snout, Common Welsh Green, Chinese Fireball, and Hungarian Horntail,” Charlie told me with a smile on his face as he pointed to each dragon.

I shook my head with a small, excited smile on my face, “No, I mean what are their _names_?”

He looked at me with furrowed brows, “Why would a dragon need a name?”

I opened my mouth to answer when another dragonologist came running up to Charlie.

“Somethings up with the Swedish,” He stated, prompting Charlie to walk away with him without another glance at me. Interested, I watched them approach the sedated beast, who was laying limp in its cage. Each dragon was sedated enough to keep them from trying to free themselves or to set fire to the people and woods around them.

My eyes narrowed as I watched the large, scaly chest of the dragon rise and fall slowly. It’s scales were a silvery blue, which matched the brilliant blue flames that flares from it’s nostrils. Apparently, their fire was hot enough to reduce timber and bone to ash in seconds. My eyes roamed from its single horn extending up from its nose like a rhinos to the leathery wings folded by its sides.

I walked up to Charlie and stopped his hand as he reached for the massive lock on the cage doors. He turned to me with an annoyed look on his face, to which I rolled my eyes.

Before he could have a chance to speak, I beat him to it, “You’d think a dragon expert would know the difference between a sleeping dragon and one very much awake.”

He scoffed, “You obviously don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I sighed, reminding myself that Ginny probably wouldn’t want her older brother – however annoying he may be – to be sent to Saint Mungos after being mauled by a dragon. He tried for the lock again, but I slapped his hand away.

“Jigs up, darling,” I said in a light voice to the dragon, putting force into the familiar pull. In response to my words, the dragon’s head lifted, casting a wary and confused look at me. A snarl left its lips before several wizards around us stunned it back to a sedated state before the bright blue light in its nostrils could be transformed into flames.

I grimaced as the dragon’s eyes glassed over, sitting in a false appearance of content. Logically, I knew that they couldn’t let the dragons be fully alert. They could hurt themselves and others trying to escape and, as much as I would like to see them fly and roam freely, it wasn’t an option when students were in a castle not far away. Still, my heart went out to them.

“How did you do that?” Charlie’s voice cut through my thoughts.

I glanced at him and shrugged, “I’m good with creatures.”

He breathed out a small laugh, “I can see that,” After a pause he added, “How would you like to help with taking care of them until the tournament?”

I sucked in a breath and looked at him with wide eyes, before regaining my composure slightly and arching an eyebrow to throw his words back at him, “You sure you want the help of someone who doesn’t know what they’re talking about?”

He sighed, a slight guilty look flashed over his features, before he responded, “I might have jumped the gun with that.”

I huffed, but couldn’t stop the smile on my face as I looked at each of the cages. Dragons should be a formidable distraction against my persisting swirling thoughts, which always seemed to land on a particular redhead.

Hagrid and I were, of course, sworn to secrecy about the dragons in the tournament. We weren’t told which task they were meant for, but since they were already brought to Hogwarts, I assumed they held a role in the first one. Knowing Hagrid, it wouldn’t be a secret for long – at least not for Harry. He had a sizeable soft spot for the famous, young wizard.

So, I spent my days tending to my regular creatures, helping Hagrid with classes and the Skrewts, and caring for the dragons with Charlie. He carried the standard Weasley characteristics: brown eyes, pale skin, fiery red hair – though it wasn’t as long as the twins’ or even Ron’s. Freckles covered his skin from constantly being in the sun and he was shorter than the others, about my height or maybe an inch taller, but he was considerably strong for his height.

He taught me the ins and outs of dragon care; what they need and like to eat, wing and scale maintenance, areas to check for mites, what to look out for in their dung, and more. I learned that the Common Welsh Green – who I named Bean, much to Charlie’s horror – was actually very sweet. Well as sweet as a dragon can be. She liked her snout scratched and enjoyed a large log in her cage to scratch at and kneed her claws into. The Swedish Short-Snout, or Sweed, tried to escape using her false sickness routine a few more times. She liked her meat basically fried to a crisp and was the most vocal of the dragons. The Chinese Fireball, or Frederick, was the smartest of the bunch, but always in a foul mood. She nearly broke out of her cage when she found a weak spot in the bars and, in her weakened state, used her weight against it. Luckily, she didn’t get far along before someone noticed. She was one of the two dragons that refused to communicate with me, no matter how much effort I put into the connection.

The other was Grumpy, or the Hungarian Horntail. No one could get near her cage, unless she was fully knocked out, which took the entire clan of wizards stunning her. I learned through my many interactions with various creatures, that some creatures were simply dicks. Grumpy was one of these creatures.

It wasn’t long before the first task was upon us. I sat beside George and Ginny in the stands, looking out onto the arena with a fresh bandage wrapped around my left palm. I had made the mistake of grabbing onto the bars of Frederick’s cage after he had a tantrum and let loose a few fireballs against the metal.

“Are you ever going to tell me what happened to your hand?” George leaned down to ask me against the noise of people chattering around us.

I smiled at him, “Frederick threw a tantrum,” I stated simply.

He furrowed his brows, “Fred? Did he finally grow the balls to talk to you again?”

I snorted and shook my head, “No. You’ll see. She’s the red one.”

He looked confused but didn’t press any further as Fred joined him, standing on his other side. It was the first time since the bar incident that I had seen him so close and my breath caught for a moment at the painfully familiar sight of him. George sent me an apologetic look before chatting with his twin about the betting pool they started.

I turned to Ginny, who had a worried look on her face. I threw an arm around her shoulder in support. I knew her, Hermione, and Ron were all terrified for Harry and, to be honest, I was frightened as well. Hermione let it slip that he was going up against Grumpy and I didn’t like his odds. Charlie looked back from his seat at the front of the arena, found my eyes and gave me a wave, which I returned with a smile. He noticed Ginny beside me and waved to her as well. I had pestered him about letting me sit by him to help with the dragons in case something went wrong, but was met with an annoying, but well-meaning, lecture about it being too dangerous.

“You know Charlie?” A surprising voice asked me, and I turned to see Fred staring at me. His voice seemed genuinely curious and, judging by the slight blush on his face, he hadn’t meant to ask me out loud. George glanced between me and him on either side of him, he seemed uncertain on what to do, but he leaned back a bit so he was out of the way of our staring contest.

I blinked, but after a moment, replied, “Yeah. If you haven’t noticed, Weasleys seem to be talented at worming themselves into my life.”

Fred snorted before he could stop himself, “Maybe you’re the wormer.”

I scoffed, “You can’t possible think that you’re the wormee in this situation.”

“Well if you’re the wormer, than I’d have to be the wormee. Just how it works,” He shot back, a faint grin on his lips.

“Can we please stop saying ‘worm’,” Ginny sighed out, “It’s about to start!”

I huffed, sending a sideways glance at Fred and muttered, “Well I would have used the word ‘weasled’, but that seemed a little too on the nose.”

My mouth cracked into a smile as I heard Fred’s laughter muffled under his hand, followed by George’s laughter, which made Fred laugh even harder. My chest swelled with pride and, for a moment, I allowed a sliver of happiness back into my heart.

The task started with Cedric facing off Bean, then Fleur who was matched with Sweed. When Charlie and the others brought in Frederick, I nudged George.

I made him lean over so my words could reach his ear, “That’s Frederick. She burnt my hand.”

George smiled at me and leaned over to Fred to whisper something to him. I could feel Fred’s stare on my face, but I was too absorbed into watching Krum deal with Frederick. Soon, it was Harry’s turn with Grumpy. I gasped and gripped George’s arm when Grumpy broke free from her chain and flew away to chase Harry on his broom. Chaos seemed to erupt in the stands and I glanced to him, only to find it was Fred standing beside me instead. As students clamored noisily around us, I was frozen in his gaze.

There was a mixture of emotions on his face as he looked at me. I realized that I was still gripping onto his arm, but I couldn’t find it in myself to let go. My memories of him were so conflicting, some were so happy, carefree, and good…but others sent pangs of hurt into my chest. He leaned down slowly and the rest of the world melted away as his face neared mine. My body craved to lean into him, to wrap myself around him, but I couldn’t. I felt his warm breath against my lips and my eyelids threatened to close. _A charity case…you have to change your image somehow._ I gasped as his words echoed in my mind and dropped his arm, taking a step away from him. I looked at him before I could train my features, and as his eyes took in my pained expression, he backed away as well.

He opened his mouth, then closed it. I swallowed and muttered an excuse to Ginny before quickly leaving the stands, shoving people out of my way. I retreated to where the dragons were being kept and set about checking them for injuries from their turns in the arena. I knew better than to ask Charlie if I could help return Grumpy and I resolved to just hoping that they could get her subdued without killing her or her killing someone else.

I was petting Bean through the bars when she huffed looking over my shoulder. I tracked her gaze and groaned when I saw a familiar red head.

“Now who’s the wormer,” I muttered under my breath.

“You’re…petting…a dragon,” Fred said in disbelief.

I sighed, turning to him, “What do you want, Fred?”

His lips turned down into a frown at the tone of my voice. This time, I prepared myself for our interaction, allowing the memories of the bar to replay in the back of my mind. I trained my expression into something hopefully neutral. I held up a hand to stop him, so he stood outside of the range of Bean’s flame breath. Bean shifted behind me, warily watching him and I glanced back to giver her a reassuring snout scratch.

“I – “ He said after a moment, “We need to talk.”

I fixed a cool gaze onto him, “Then talk.”

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand, his shoulder-length hair was thoroughly mussed by the wind whipping in the stands, “Right. Uh, I’m sorry…about the bar, about avoiding you, ignoring you. Everything. I didn’t mean anything I said and I – “

“I know,” I cut him off, crossing my arms over my chest as it ached.

He looked up from the spot of grass near his feet that he had fixed his gaze on, surprised and a bit relieved, “You do?”

I scoffed, “Of course. I’m not an idiot. You don’t go from being someone’s best friend to suddenly thinking that they’re the scum of the Earth when nothing changed,” My voice grew colder, “You said those things, not because you believed them, but because you knew they would hurt me. And you succeeded…you won…so why the fuck are you here?”

He walked towards me, ignoring the low growl from Bean, with his expression a mixture of regret and anger, “I’m trying to apologize. I get it, okay. I fucked up and, trust me, everyone around me has told me time and time again how badly I messed up.”

I glared up into his eyes, unable to keep my voice level anymore, “You can apologize all you want! It doesn’t change anything…it can’t magically take back what you said or how you treated me. What I want to know is what the hell I ever did to you?!” My voice cracked, but the words started tumbling out of my mouth before I could stop them, “I get that I’m not the easiest person to be friends with, but, dammit, I tried. I had plans…I – I had rules and then you and George came along and fucked everything up. And as much as I tried to resist it, you made me happy…y – you made me laugh until I cried and smile at the stupidest jokes and pranks…” My voice trailed off as I finally gained enough control to stop my word vomit. I looked down at shook my head.

We stood in silence for a while, before I heard his soft voice, “I saw you with Krum that day. H-he made you laugh and smile and at first I wanted to run up to him and rip his head off his shoulders, but…but then I thought about it and it made sense. Why would you ever go for – for a bloke like me when you could pick someone who could give you the world. I was pissed and I thought…I thought it would be easier for both of us if you hated me.”

I closed my eyes tightly as so many emotions swirled inside of me. The hum of my magic was licking at my heart. The reminder of my destiny flickered into my mind. _Maybe it would be easier._ I looked up at him, gasping softly at how close he was to me. I could feel the heat from his body and fought the urge to lean into him, burying my face into the scarf around his neck to inhale his scent. A scent I had missed so badly. I swallowed as his deep brown eyes bored into my light blue ones. He chewed on his lip, which was chapped from the cold, and my eyes couldn’t help but follow the motion.

“You’re an idiot,” I found myself whispering, “I was falling in love with you.”

My words seemed to knock the wind out of him, and I felt something crack inside of me at my admission. I had never dared to think about love, it was a word banned in my mind even before I realized that my control over my magic was affected by emotions. Love was a powerful one and I didn’t have as much experience with it as I did anger, fear, and sadness. But as the words left my lips, I didn’t doubt their truth.

“Was?” He choked out, his face twisted in hurt.

I wrapped my arms around him, taking us both by surprise. My inner Omega leapt to the forefront, helping to soothe the hurt Alpha in front of me. I cooed at him, gently rubbing his back and nuzzling his neck. He tightened his grip around me, as if I would suddenly disappear.

Without breaking our embrace I replied, “I – I’m not experienced in…love. I can forgive you for everything, but…it still hurt. And it scared me…because I allowed it to hurt. I’ve been called and been treated much worse, but it never affected me before. I just…want my best friend back. I don’t want to lose you.”

His chest rumbled at the slight twinge of panic in my last sentence, “You won’t. Never again, I promise. I’ll even make a bloody Unbreakable Vow if that’s what it takes. I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.”

We held each other for a while before I released him, though he merely shifted his hands to my waist. I looked up at him and sighed. I didn’t know what our future was and I certainly didn’t understand the swirl of good and bad emotions I felt towards him, but, with my next words, I made a decision.

“Who knew Fred Weasley could be such a sap,” I teased with a tentative smirk on my lips.

His bright, signature grin was worth it as he dramatically scoffed, “Don’t you dare go telling people. I have a reputation to uphold.”

I laughed and took his hand, introducing him to Bean and the other dragons. We stayed well away from Frederick though, as she was incredibly moody.

“You really named a dragon after me?” He quirked a brow with a smug smile.

I nodded, “Yeah, she’s as red as your hair, incredibly clever, and a bit of a dick.”

“Incredibly clever, eh?”

“And a bit of a dick,” I confirmed with a grin.

The tension between us melted away as we continued to joke around. After a while, I decided that it would probably be a good idea to leave before Charlie and the others came back with Grumpy. We joined the others to find that Harry had swooped back into the arena, completing the challenge. I shook my head in disbelief. _That kid has one hell of a guardian angel looking over him._

George was over the moon when he saw me and Fred acting like normal again and Ginny gave me a wink when the twins weren’t looking. There was a huge party in the Gryffindor common room, which Ginny insisted I attend. To my credit, I did stay for a least a few minutes before excusing myself to go say goodbye to Charlie.

Unsurprisingly, the twins accompanied me to Hagrid’s hut where Hagrid and Charlie were in deep conversation, presumably about dragons. I walked in as Charlie was standing up from the table.

“Thank you for your help and the tea, Hagrid,” He smiled as he shook his hand before turning to us.

“I thought you would’ve kept better company,” He teased, shooting a pointed look at Fred and George on either side of me.

“But if she hangs out with you – “ Fred quipped.

“ – how high can her standards possibly be?” George finished, both boys sporting a grin.

I rolled my eyes and changed the subject, “Are you taking the dragons back tonight?”

Charlie nodded, “Yeah, we need to get them back to their sanctuaries as soon as possible.”

“Take care of Bean for me,” I warned with a small smile.

He rolled his eyes, “I’m never letting you name a dragon again,” He shook my hand, before adding in a more serious tone, “You certainly have a future in caring for magical creatures. If you’d finish your schooling, I’d be the first to hire you. But, regardless, thank you for your help. Take care, Athena.”

He gave me a warm smile, then shot a stern look to both twins, “And you two better keep out of trouble. Mum’s already stressed enough with the Death Eater stunt at the Quidditch Cup, she doesn’t need you two adding to it.”

Both twins scoffed out a laugh, “ _Keep out of trouble, he says.”_

“Do you know who you’re talking to, mate?” Fred added.

“Oh, right,” George suddenly said, nudging Fred before taking a small package out of his coat, “Ginny saved some sweets for you from the Great Hall. She wanted to give them to you to have on your trip.”

Fred nodded and pretended to be annoyed, “She kept pestering us about it.”

Charlie took the bag, albeit suspiciously, and we exchanged goodbyes with Hagrid before walking out of the hut and back into the castle. I smiled.

“Puking pasties?” I guessed, looking up to Fred.

He grinned, “A little bit of everything actually.”

George chuckled, “We tried to formulate a recipe to cover the eater in scales and blow smoke out of their mouth, specifically for him. But we couldn’t figure it out in time.”

“Would have been a dream come true for him,” Fred mused.

I giggled, “I bet he thinks you two are going to corrupt me.”

George snorted and, in a hilariously bad imitation of Charlie’s voice, said, “ _Thought you would have kept better company.”_

Fred and I laughed, our voices echoing in the nearly vacant halls. Only a few students were walking in them, most of them were either at the Hufflepuff or Gryffindor parties, which were probably close to ending.

“Gallant Ole’ Charlie was trying to save young Athena’s soul from the bastardly Weasley twins,” Fred dramatically and loudly proclaimed into the empty halls, “Little did he know…”

He lifted me up, causing a shriek to escape my lips which dissolved into laughter. As he spun me around, my legs automatically wrapped around his waist and both of his arms tucked under my butt to hold me up.

“…that we were the ones that needed saving!” He proclaimed as he stopped spinning. I looked down at him, noticed that his large smile matched my own. His brown eyes looked even darker in the dim lighting, but the moonlight from the large windows made them gleam.

“Look she’s finally taller than us,” George smirked, walking over to stand beside Fred.

I smiled, ruffling both of their hair, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen the tops of your heads before.”

With a laugh, Fred loosened his grip on me, expecting me to put my feet on the floor, but my grip on him with my legs was solid.

“No. No,” I tsked at him when he looked up at me, “I like being tall.”

George snickered, “Wow. Give her a bit of height and you’ve created a monster.”

Fred shuffled on his feet, making me grip his shoulders so I didn’t topple over and take him with me, “Do you expect me to carry you to your room?” He huffed. George had already started walking ahead of us, but Fred was yet to move.

I gasped, “Are you implying that I’m too heavy for you?”

His face went a bit red before stammering out a no.

“Alright, I guess I can ask Geor – “ I started out but was cut off by a firm and quick swat to my ass.

My mouth hung open as I looked at him in disbelief. His cheeks were still pink, but there was a smug smile on his lips. There was worry in his eyes though, perhaps a fear that he crossed a boundary or a fear that I was going to hex him. Both were very real possibilities, but Fred always tended to act before he thought. _He just…spanked me._ It was a moment before I realized that he was waiting for me to say something.

I huffed, trying to calm down the blush on my face, “If you’re going to spank me, at least do it with some passion.”

When I glanced back at his face, his eyes had darkened and I nearly whimpered at the subtle change in his scent. It grew headier and stronger, making my eyes dilate. His hands, which had been resting on the globes of my ass, tightened their grip.

“Oi! You guys coming?” George’s voice called out down the hall.

I took that distraction and slid down Fred’s body until my feet were once again on the ground. I smirked at the expression on his face before sprinting down the hall to catch up to George.

“You okay?” He asked.

I nodded as I panted a bit, a smirk still on my lips, “Yeah. You might have just caused yourself to get your ass beat later though.”

He looked confused for a second, but his eyes widened in understanding. I laughed, managing to get out a goodnight to him before splitting ways. I chuckled all the way back to my room, my body still vibrating where his hands and chest touched. I took a cold shower to get rid of the stickiness between my thighs and fell back onto bed with a pleased expression.


	7. Chapter Seven

Ginny was adamant about me spending Christmas Eve night in her dorm with her so we could all wake up together for Christmas. I had tried to protest, but she simply narrowed her eyes at me and gave me a look before I conceded. The longer I was at Hogwarts, the more subtle changes I noticed in my behavior.

Before, I woke when the sun started to rise regardless of how much sleep I got or how tired I was. I supposed it was part of Uncle’s conditioning, as he was always an early bird and was convinced the only way to have a productive day was to wake at the crack of dawn. Now, I quite enjoyed sleeping in on the days I didn’t have much work and I found it harder to leave my nice warm cocoon of blankets as the days got colder and colder.

So after a long day on Christmas Eve, I stopped by my chambers to shower and pull on my fuzzy sleeping pants, knee-high socks, and over-sized long sleeved knit shirt. I knew the Gryffindor common room was warmer than my place next to the dungeons, but I figured that if I got too hot, I’d just use less blankets. Thinking of the blankets, I grabbed a selection of my softest ones along with my pillow and small toiletry bag. I shrank everything down so it could fit into my satchel and padded to the common room.

It was late, but I was greeted with a hug by Ginny in the empty common room. The other girls in her dorm room were already in bed and we made quick work of arranging the multiple soft blankets onto her bed, creating a nest of sorts that felt like heaven when we crawled into it.

We spoke in hushed voices for a while. I suspected that she was too excited to go straight to sleep.

“So, have you ever gone into heat?” She asked and for a moment, I missed the days when she was too embarrassed to ask me questions about being an Omega, because at the mere mention of heat, my mind automatically thought of Fred. I blinked a few times, thankful that the darkness hid my heated cheeks.

“Yeah,” I replied, “When I presented, I did. Since then I’ve been on suppressants. What about you?”

I felt rather than saw her shake her head, “No. I presented at the end of last school year. I guess I’m lucky that you can’t have heats or ruts at Hogwarts. Did it hurt?”

I grimaced at the memories, “Yeah. The cramps were awful, felt like my organs were twisting. I felt like I was out of my mind during most of it. I think I’d much rather have an Alpha the next time I got through it.”

“Oh? Any specific Alpha on your mind?” She asked and I could hear the sly and slightly evil grin on her face.

I made a noise that sounded halfway between a snort and a choke, causing her to giggle softly.

“At least when I pick an Alpha, I won’t have 6 older brothers to introduce them to,” I teased back, and she groaned.

“And plus, your older sister,” I continued with a smile on my face, “And I hear she’s a bit of a bitch.”

She chuckled and thumped my shoulder, “You’re not a bitch, you’re just…selective of who you like.”

“Alright, Miss Brightside,” I yawned out a chuckle, “Let’s get some sleep.”

I turned onto my side, snuggling in under the covers. I felt her settle in behind me and, as my eyes began to droop, I felt her cuddle into my back resting her forehead between my shoulder blades. A smile drifted onto my face before I started dreaming of an alternate world where I had a little sister just like Ginny, our parents never died, and Old Magic never entered our lives. It was pure happiness and, for the first time in a while, old memories and trauma didn’t even try to taint it.

That bliss was short lived as I cracked my eyes open to loud popping and crackling noises. The rest of the girls screamed and leapt out of their beds. As I saw a small firework whiz by, I groaned and closed my eyes again, knowing it was the twins.

“Wakey, wakey!” Fred called out.

“Happy Christmas!” George added in an equally loud and annoying voice.

I burrowed further into my cocoon, my body determining that it was too early for all this nonsense. I vaguely listened to footsteps leaving the room as everyone piled out, excited about presents and festivities. I sighed in relief, thinking that I was forgotten.

“You know,” I heard Fred whisper to George close to the bed, “They say if she comes out and sees her shadow, it’ll be two more weeks of winter.”

“Fuck off,” I mumbled, wrapped in comfort and still hazy with sleep.

“Oh no,” George muttered, in mock concern, “What do you reckon that means?”

“Means,” Fred stated before ripping away my blanket, causing me to hiss at the sudden light and cold air hitting me, “We have to take away her den!”

I groaned and turned over, colliding with a body that turned out to be George lounging on the bed beside me. I looked up at his goofy grin with narrowed eyes. I shrugged and threw an arm and a leg over him, snuggling into his body heat.

“Oi!” Fred proclaimed behind me, “Why does he get cuddles?”

“And what’s with all the blankets?” George asked, apparently enjoying himself as he wrapped an arm over me.

“I like soft things,” I half-heartedly explained, “It’s sort of an Omega thing.”

Fred scoffed, “Well he’s not going to stay soft for long with you rubbing yourself all over him like that.”

George tensed up and I fell back in laughter, the sudden humor helping to wake me up. With my eyes now open fully, I turned to see a mildly annoyed Fred.

“Jealous?” I arched an eyebrow at him with a grin and his face heated up, “Tell you what. I’ll cuddle you as much as you want today as an extra Christmas present. Sound good?”

He instantly broke out into a grin, “Wicked.”

With that, we made our way down into the common room to see our group of Ginny, Harry, Hermione, and Ron already waiting for us around one of the trees in the room. I had taken my favorite throw blanket down with me and wrapped it around me even though it was plenty warm. Fred and George plopped down on the floor and I was about to sit next to Ginny.

“Cuddles!” Fred suddenly said, his arms outstretched to me.

I jumped and looked over to George with a look that said _He’s going to do this all day isn’t he?_ And he nodded with a look that confirmed this. I sighed and awkwardly sat down on his lap as the rest of the group gave us strange looks. I mumbled about it being a Christmas gift and the mention of gifts steered everyone’s attention to the presents under the tree.

We separated into two groups: the Golden Trio and me, Ginny, and the Twins. When Ginny handed me an unmarked box, I turned it over, searching to see who it was from.

She must have sensed my confusion because she explained, “It’s from Mum. Every year she knits us all sweaters.”

I frowned, “But she doesn’t know me.”

Ginny smiled a little guiltily, “I might have mentioned you in a letter or two.”

“Plus,” Fred chimed in, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. Thankfully, when we moved and divided into groups, he had settled for sitting beside me, “She knows you’re the reason why George and I have stopped skipping class.”

George nodded, “And for that, she probably already loves you.”

With a small smile, I opened the box to reveal an incredibly warm and soft red sweater with a yellow A on it. My smile grew as I hugged it to me, subtly inhaling a very earthy and warm scent. I abandoned my blanket, purposefully throwing it over Fred’s head and pulled on the sweater. _How does it fit so perfectly?_ I wondered while Fred fought his way out of the blanket.

Ginny squealed as she opened her gifts from me. I got her a super soft blanket that had her initials embroidered on the it, fairy lights to hang over the posters on her bed that were enchanted to change to any color she thinks of, and, of course, the necklace that was an early present. I smiled at her reaction before pushing the boy’s presented towards them.

They shamelessly tore apart the packaging, sending shreds of wrapping paper all around. I had gotten George a full set of muggle magic tricks and pranks with instructions on how to use them. He beamed at me while going through all the gags. He had told me that he was fascinated by the less-fantastic muggle versions of their prank and trick products a while ago. They were even thinking of selling them in their joke store.

Fred tore open the gift that was addressed to both of them. He looked confused when he pulled out a small hat covered in pink feathers.

“Remember Headless Hats?” I asked them both with a smirk. They gasped and Fred immediately placed the hat on his head, making his head and the hat disappear. George clapped his hands in delight before snatching the hat off his brother’s head and putting it on so Fred could see too.

“How the bloody hell did you do it?” Fred exclaimed.

“Yeah, we tried to figure it out for ages,” George added, taking the hat off and restoring his head.

I smiled and shrugged, “It was too good of an idea to give up on. For some reason, it’ll only work with the pink feathers, but the key turned out to be dander from a Demiguise. It’s the creature that invisibility cloaks are made from. There are step by step instructions on the piece of paper in the box so you guys can make them for your store.”

“That’s brilliant,” Ginny said with her new throw around her shoulders.

I shrugged off the extra attention and handed Fred his gift. He tore it open to reveal a pair of simple-looking leather braided bracelets.

I immediately explained, “When I lived with my uncle, I didn’t really have a lot of free time for hobbies, but when I did, I usually made bracelets from whatever material I could get my hands on. I made these from dragon leather, and I enchanted one strand from each bracelet to change colors. Each person controls the color of the other bracelet by telling their bracelet which color. See?”

I grabbed my bracelet from him and whispered “blue”. A strand in the bracelet that Fred was holding turned a bright blue before slowly fading into a duller shade. Fred held his up with a grin and whispered “red” and the bracelet in my hand responded the same way.

I smiled, “I figured we could use it to communicate when I’m working and you’re in class. Plus, look on the inside.”

He flipped his bracelet and read out what I had branded into the leather, “ _To my least favorite twin… – A_ ”

George burst out into laughter and Fred frowned for a moment, before he remembered the context of that quote. It was the first and only time I had referenced him as an Alpha and I still remember how his chest puffed up when I told him that he was my favorite Alpha. His lips grew into a sly grin and I winked at him when he looked back up at me.

“It’s perfect,” He stated, quickly clasping the bracelet around his wrist and I did the same.

“Now it’s your turn!” Ginny smiled, pushing a few gifts my way. I cringed at the thought of opening gifts in front of people. I didn’t know how I was supposed to act and everyone’s attention on me was uncomfortable.

Nonetheless, I opened Ginny’s gifts and smiled brightly at the pack of brightly colored knee-high socks. Some were fuzzy and some were regular. I promptly ripped the plain socks off my feet and pulled on a fuzzy blue pair. I wiggled my toes in the softness and thanked her. She also got me a new pair of scent bands in my favorite shade of blue and a set of creature pins for my bag including a Nundu, MoonCalf, and Hippogriff in cartoon forms.

“These are perfect,” I grinned at her, pulling her into a side hug, “I love them. Thank you.”

“Now for the true perfect gift,” George announced, sliding a poorly wrapped package to me.

I snorted and opened it to reveal it chock full of chocolate frogs, liquorice wands, cauldron cakes, and sugar quills. Ginny must have revealed to him which sweets from Honeydukes were my favorites. Fred went to reach his hand inside the box, but I slapped his hand away. My mouth watered at the sheer amount of sugar and chocolate contained in the box.

I placed a hand over my heart and dramatically swooned, “You certainly know the way to a woman’s heart, my dear George.”

His chest puffed up and he flipped his hair back, “It’s why I’m known as the Casanova twin.”

Both Fred and I laughed, knowing full well that he just made that up. Fred, in an uncharacteristically shy manner, handed me a bag. I pulled out a necklace that made a small gasp leave my lips. It was the Orion’s Belt constellation on a dainty silver chain. I looked from the necklace to him, then back to the necklace. The memory of the first time I spoke to him alone, when I was freezing in the astronomy tower, replayed in my mind. _“Just a bunch of dots, innit?” “Actually, Orion’s Belt is really visible tonight.”_

I smiled at him and shook my head in disbelief, “I can’t believe you remembered that one sentence.”

His chest puffed up with pride and before he could respond, I launched myself at him and wrapped my arms around him in a hug.

“Oof,” His breath left his lungs as his back hit the floor. His arms wrapped around me automatically, “I take it you like the gift?” I could hear his smile in his voice.

I nodded against his chest and reluctantly peeled myself off of him to thank everyone once again and to gather up my gifts to take back to my room. Fred accompanied me and we quickly worked out a system for the bracelets.

Red was for when we needed help and was purely for emergencies. Orange was for when we wanted to meet up. Yellow was for checking in on the other person, to which the other person would respond with green or blue. Green meant that the person was having a good day or was happy/content. Blue meant that the person was sad or having a bad day. We left the color purple for now, figuring that we’d find a meaning for it later.

It would be nice to feel connected to him even if I was deep in the Forbidden Forest. While Fred waiting in my sitting room, I quickly changed into black, skin tight, but comfortable leggings and back into my ‘A’ sweater. I adjusted the chain on the necklace Fred gave me so it was visible above the collar. I ran a brush through my hair and braided it to the side.

As I tugged on my boots, I decided to test the bracelet again by whispering “yellow”. I waited for a moment and frowned when the strand turned blue. I walked into the sitting area and looked at Fred.

“Why blue?” I asked, arching a brow.

He looked at me, visibly trying to pull puppy dog eyes, “You were in there for ages.”

I rolled my eyes so hard, I nearly hurt myself.

…

The rest of the day went by too quickly. The twins and I pulled the others into a massive snowball fight, which had no clear winner but had everyone laughing. I gave Hagrid three baby Murtlaps, one boy and two girls. He had talked about wanting to breed them since their essence could be used to heal minor cuts and wounds. I had to contact one of his shadier creature dealers in order to purchase them, but it was worth it to see his face light up when he saw the naked mole rat type creatures. He got me a beautiful dragon scale, which he must have bought off of Charlie when he was here.

I also gave Fluffy a large bone and Fang a new, soft blanket for his bed. I spent the rest of the day helping the twins with the sales of their mischievous products. A lot of students wanted to spend the money they received in Christmas cards from their grandparents or other family members on Puking Pasties, Nosebleed Nougats, and more. It was always a delight to see Fred’s face and demeanor when he dealt with customers. I couldn’t wait to see them in their store.

“There you are!” Ginny’s voice called out and I looked up from Fred’s lap as he and George were counting their earnings in the Gryffindor common room. Fred had taken my cuddling gift seriously and we spent the day connected in some way, even if it was just through holding hands. We certainly earned some odd looks and whispers, but I couldn’t remember a time when I was happier.

“Nope,” Fred wrapped an arm around my waist, “You can’t have her – “

George looked up as well with a grin, “ – we’re keeping her.”

Ginny crossed her arms over her chest and scowled at the two boys, “You’ve been hogging her all day. I need her help.”

“You should have seen it though,” George continued brightly, “I think she convinced half our customers to spend every last coin they had. It was like watching a Veela at work.”

I shrugged with a smile, “My mother was half Veela.”

Both twins looked at each other then back at me before nodding and muttering at the same time, “ _Makes sense._ ”

I rolled my eyes, “It’s not like I have any Veela powers or abilities.”

“I beg to differ,” Fred chimed in and I responded by half-heartedly elbowing him in the stomach.

Ginny cleared her voice, but before she could speak, I shot her a warm smile and asked, “What do you need help with?”

She smiled, “Getting ready for the Yule Ball.”

With those two words, I could practically hear the classic screeching of tires as both me and the twins froze. I had honestly forgotten about the ball and, after a quick glance at both Fred and George’s panicked expressions, they had too.

“Yeah, of course,” I heard myself say, “I’ll be up there in a minute.”

After she left, an uncomfortable silence settled over us before George excused himself, saying something about putting their money away. That left me and Fred, who was trying to look at anything else in the room besides me. _Right._

“I should probably…” I managed to awkwardly mutter before standing up from his lap, intending to dart up the stairs to Ginny’s dorm.

He caught my wrist, causing me to look back at him. His warm brown eyes were laced with worry and uncertainty. Neither of us knew what we were or where we were going, but there seemed to be an unspoken rule between us, preventing us from taking the leap and acting on our feelings. He looked about as lost as I felt. I took a deep breath before giving him a small smile.

“I bet you’ll look handsome all dolled up,” I offered, reaching out to gently smooth back his hair.

He visibly relaxed into my touch with a small grin of his own, “Are you implying that I don’t look handsome daily?”

“Fishing for compliments is beneath you, Darling,” I playfully scolded him, but continued, “I’m not going, so I’m going to be mad if you have a huge prank planned since I won’t get to see it.”

His grin faltered, “I wish you were.”

“Going to the ball or beneath you?” I shot back with a wink and my chest swelled with pride as his wicked grin returned.

“Both,” He winked back, “Even both at the same time, I’m not picky.”

“I don’t have to go,” He said, returning to a serious look, “I can make up an excuse to Cindy…or was it Susie?” His brows furrowed as he honestly tried to remember the name of the girl he was supposed to be taking to the ball.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head, “Go. Enjoy yourself. I’m not mad about it. And besides, I couldn’t imagine getting all dolled up in a way too expensive dress and forcing myself to wear high heels. Wouldn’t want to give you a heart attack,” I smirked.

He searched my expression, looking for truth behind my words. I truly wasn’t mad anymore, still a bit hurt, but that pain was fading in time. He nodded and stood up to give me a hug. I hummed contently in his arms before reluctantly pulling away to join Ginny in her room.

I smiled as I clasped the diamond pendant around her neck after what seemed like hours getting her ready. When it came to her hair, we both agreed that leaving her hair mainly down with the front bits pulled back would look best. I was secretly relieved that she didn’t want me to try and pull it into an elegant updo, like Hermione was trying to wrestle her hair into. Watching the girls fuss and fiddle with their appearances unexpectantly made me miss my mother. Vague memories of her gentle hands in my hair, braiding it while it was damp at night so it would be wavy in the morning, flitted through my mind.

I glanced at my reflection in the mirror, assessing my appearance for the first time in a while. I had my mother’s eyes, bright blue with flecks of white around the center. My father had blue eyes as well, but his were more gray than anything. I also had my mother’s slightly upturned nose, thick lashes, and high cheek bones. My father’s genes showed up in my dark brown hair, thicker eyebrows, and the slight dusting of freckles across my nose. For the thousandth time in my life, I wondered what they would think of me if they were still alive.

I’m a teenager now, would I argue with them? Rebel against their rules or be the perfect daughter? Would Mom teach me about boys or would Dad warn me against them? Would they be proud of me? I started to fall into the pit of unanswerable questions, when my bracelet started glowing orange.

I smiled down at it, glancing up at Ginny, who was basically ready aside from putting on her shoes. She looked absolutely beautiful. With a smile, I excused myself from the room, bounding down the stairs to the common room.

As my feet left the bottom stair, my eyes immediately locked onto Fred, who was standing with a group of boys near the fireplace. I bit the inside of my lip as my eyes greedily raked down his body. His black cloak was tied around the collar of his crisp white dress shirt, which was covered by a light brown corduroy vest and was paired with black trousers and black dress shoes.

When my eyes finally travelled back up to meet to his face, his lips were pulled into his signature smirk which sent a shiver down my spine. Ignoring something George said, he walked over to me and I suddenly felt very underdressed.

“Like what you see?” He asked smugly, arching an eyebrow.

I snapped out of my trance and replied with a shrug, “I guess you clean up nice.”

He scoffed and leaned down to whisper into my ear, “Says the girl who was undressing me with her eyes a few seconds ago.”

His warm breath ghosted over my scent gland, pulling a soft whine from my throat involuntarily. My inner Omega jumped to the forefront of my mind and I fought the urge to press my body against his as I craved his skin on my own. _Down girl._ I reprimanded myself as he straightened up, his eyes had grown darker.

“I think we need to talk…privately,” I purred, enjoying the sight of his eyes widening before lust filled them again.

Without another word, he grabbed my hand and led me up the stairs to the boy’s dorms. I knew that the stairs were enchanted to not permit female students in the boy’s rooms and vice versa and, at that moment, I thanked Merlin that I wasn’t a student. He opened the door to, what I assumed was his room, and, after being hit with a concentrated whiff of both his and George’s scent, it was confirmed. It was empty and he quickly closed the door behind me.

He looked like he was about to pounce on me and, as much as a large part of my mind was screaming at me to let him, I held up a finger to him.

“Let’s not forget that you’re going to the ball with another girl,” I quickly stated, perhaps a bit more harshly than I intended, and his face fell.

“I already told you, I don’t have to g – “ He started but I placed my hand over his mouth, cutting off his words.

“You’ll go,” I confirmed, “You’ve made a promise to that girl. And besides, you’ll need some school memories to look back on that don’t involve pranks and hijinks.”

He looked like he was about to protest, even though I hadn’t removed my hand, so I continued, “You’ll go,” I repeated, “But you’ll smell like me.”

His eyebrows furrowed and when I took my hand off of his lips he asked, “Come again?”

I giggled at his confused expression, “I’m going to scent mark you…if you’re okay with it,” I added quietly.

He thought for a moment before his lips tugged into a small, almost bashful smile – a clear contrast to what he looked like moments ago.

“Do I get to scent mark you too sometime?”

I chewed on my inner cheek before nodding and he grinned, stepping back and holding his arms out as an invitation. I chuckled, stepping closer to him and rubbed his arms with my wrists. I hadn’t ever scent marked anyone before, but I knew the general idea of how to do it and my inner Omega took over easily, my biology guiding my actions. I nuzzled my face into his chest, before sliding up to his neck. A husky groan left his throat as I nuzzled his scent gland with my cheeks and neck, which my body reacted to immediately as slick started to pool in between my legs.

I kept rubbing until I was satisfied about the amount of my scent that was now mixed in with his. It was almost painful to step back, especially with his growing hard on pressing against me.

“That should do it,” I panted out, sounding about as wrecked as he looked, as he stared at me with dark, half-lidded eyes.

“You smell so fucking good,” He mumbled, stepping closer to me again.

“Oi!” We both jumped at a voice yelling at us through the door, “We’re gonna be late. You can snog her later!”

Fred’s look turned murderous and I breathed out an awkward laugh.

“Don’t have too much fun,” I winked as I opened the door, “And come find me later.”


	8. Chapter Eight

After seeing Ginny and Neville off, during which I assured Ginny she looked amazing and would have a great time and then assured Neville that while I knew he would treat her great, if he didn’t then I would fling his body into the lake and let the merpeople use him as target practice for their harpoons. He gulped and turned a bit more pale, but nodded nonetheless.

It was quiet in the castle and I found myself in the Gryffindor common room to chase away the cold winter air. After a while of watching the fire crackle and having a short conversation with Nearly-Headless Nick, I found myself wandering back into the twin’s dorm room. After riffling through their Quidditch gear, pouring an entire bottle of glitter into George’s shampoo bottle, and finding a few gross PlayWitch magazines, I flopped onto Fred’s bed.

I absentmindedly turned my head to the side and spotted one of his sweaters – or jumper as he would call it – sticking out from underneath the bed. It was a simple black v-neck, one which he wore over a white button up as a part of his school uniform. I stood up and scooped it up, shamelessly sniffing it and was pleased to find his scent embedded in it. I wiggled my nose back and forth in thought. _Would he miss this?...Nah._ I tucked the shirt under my arm before spotting another long-sleeved shirt on the floor, this one was a pale orange color.

Without another thought, I nabbed it, as well as a jacket that lay beside it. I stopped myself before manically stealing all of his wardrobe and quickly left the dorms to squirrel away the bundle of fabric in my arms in my room. I smiled proudly at my loot that lay on my bed, feeling only a slight twinge of guilt. _I’m only borrowing them._

I decided to take a quick shower, and as I stepped out of my bathroom with my towel around me, I whispered “yellow” to my bracelet. I grabbed my wand to dry my hair as the color changed to blue. I clicked my tongue and shook my head. I pulled on a burgundy long-sleeved sweater dress that came down to my knees and cream-colored knee-high socks before tugging on brown boots that came up just under my knees. With everyone around me looking fancy, I guess I just felt the urge to put more effort into my outfit. I left my hair down, letting it cascade over my shoulders, framing the Orion’s Belt necklace nicely.

A loud knock made me jolt and I quickly grabbed Fred’s clothing and stuffed it into an unused drawer in my dresser. I walked to the door and opened it, revealing – much to my disappointment – Snape, who looked like he was seething.

“Good evening,” I said hesitantly when he just stood there glaring at me, “Shouldn’t you be at the ball?”

“Why,” He drawled out, ignoring my question, “Does one of the Weasley boys reek of you?”

Outwardly, I maintained my composure even though inwardly, I was freaking out. _What the hell? Does he just go around sniffing students? Shit. What do I say?_

“I spent the morning hanging out with him and his brother and sister,” I replied coolly.

He sneered, “Don’t try and play the idiot, Wardwell. I could smell you on him from across the ballroom. That doesn’t happen from simply. Hanging. Out.”

I scoffed, suddenly feeling incredibly defensive, “And how is it any of your business?”

He growled, causing my shoulders to hunch slightly, and leaned down to look me straight in the eyes, “Need I remind you that Dumbledore so graciously assigned you to be my responsibility? You are young, foolish, and unmarked Omega. A combination that can only cause trouble.”

I huffed, puffing up my chest and squaring my shoulders, “If you must know, I consensually scent marked him. That is not a crime or any of your concern, whether you’re responsible for me or not. I may be young, but I am no fool.”

His gaze turned even colder as he straightened up, his lips twisted into another sneer, “Of all the Alphas, you pick the Weasley boy? I thought you were better than a ridiculous school-yard romance, but apparently not. Do you not understand the gravity of your decisions?”

I opened my mouth, but he continued, “Outside of these grounds, any bonding mark would permanently tie you to whatever foolish knothead you give it up to. Then what? Slave away as some homemaking Omega, giving birth to the next brood of Weasleys? You. Are. Better. Than that.”

“What do you want me to do then?” I snapped, the conversation quickly turning to something deeper than a school crush, “Avoid all human contact until I inevitably die from the fucked up magic inside me?” As the words left my mouth, that same magic thrummed violently against my skin, a flash of blue flickering over my eyes.

He looked up, seeming to reel in the anger that was rolling off of him. I took that moment to settle my emotions as well, taming the beast that laid inside me.

“What if that’s what I want?” I whispered, causing him to snap his gaze to mine, “The world is growing more and more fucked up every day,” my mind flashed to when Ginny recounted the Death Eater incident at the Quidditch World Cup, “and for right now, I can control my magic, but no one knows how long that will last. What if I just want something normal, something expected, to strive for. Even if I never get there.”

He grimaced, but his gaze softened. He let out a sigh, reaching a hand up to push back his greasy, black hair.

Finally he spoke, “If you wish to limit yourself and to set your standards unbelievably low, then I suppose I cannot stop you.”

I cracked a small smile at this. Snape was outwardly evil, cold, and incredibly harsh. I’ve seen him make entire classes of first years cry and even some 7th year students break down. Somehow, I understood that he was trying to protect me – as his biology directs him to do – in his own twisted and demeaning manner.

I sighed, “You should go back to the ball. Perhaps you can catch some students actually doing something wrong.”

He bristled at my command but looked like he was done with the conversation anyways. With a final glare, he left and I shut the door, pressing my forehead against the cold wood. I hated how cold my chambers got, regardless of the fires I built in the sitting room and bedroom fireplaces. I moved towards my bookshelf, deciding to grab a book and go to the Gryffindor common room to read it and wait for the ball to be over. I halted when a sudden, but softer knock sounded from the door.

Hoping that it wasn’t Snape again, I opened it and smiled at the sight of a familiar red head. His hair was tousled and his cheeks were tinted pink. His warm brown eyes were gleaming with mischief and a confident smile graced his lips as he leaned against the doorframe. By the looks of it, he and George successfully snuck in Fire Whiskey to spike the punch.

“Is the ball over already?” I asked as he walked past me and I closed the door behind him.

He turned to look at me with a wink, “Nope.”

I snorted with a grin on my lips, “How much Fire Whiskey have you had then?”

His warm hands cupped my cheeks, tilting my head so our gazes locked, “Just enough to do this.”

With that, his lips were on mine and my eyes widened for a moment before fluttering closed. Every ounce of tension in my body melted away as I relaxed against him, moving my lips against his slowly. My hands slid up his chest before one rested on his shoulder and the other moved onto the back of his neck. His soft growl vibrated against my lips as he tilted his head, deepening the kiss as his hands found their way to grip my hips.

He pulled me tighter against him as his tongue rolled against my bottom lip. I automatically parted my lips and moaned softly when his tongue danced against mine. I could feel his cock growing hard against my stomach and my body ached for him to be closer. I threaded my hands into his hair before we had to break apart, both of us gasping for breath. He rested his forehead against mine as we still clung to each other.

“Everyone could smell you on me,” He whispered with a grin, “Should have seen the looks I got. Ron just about passed out when he got a whiff of me.”

I chuckled and placed my hands on his shoulders, walking him backwards until he sat down on the couch. He gazed at me hungrily as I hiked my dress up to straddle his lap after kicking off my boots. His hands groped the globes of my ass as I untied his cloak from around his neck.

“Merlin, you’re bloody perfect,” He muttered, using his grip to press my core down onto his bulge, making us both moan, “Not a single girl at the ball looked half as beautiful as you, even when you’re covered in mud with leaves in your hair.”

My face warmed at his compliments and my inner Omega was swooning at his words. My hands cupped his sharp jawline and pulled his lips against mine to avoid his hot gaze. Our lips and tongues moved against each other fervently. Kissing him was like inhaling fresh air for the first time after a life of breathing thick smog. My hips started grinding my aching and slick core against his hard bulge, earning a deep groan from him that sent a shiver down my spine. His hands slipped under my dress and guided my motions as he gripped my laced-covered ass.

He suddenly ripped himself away and I froze, looking at him with wide eyes. _Did I do something wrong?_

“If we keep going,” He rasped out, his pupils almost fully blown, “I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop. I – I don’t want to pressu – “

I cut him off with a finger against his lips and stared into his eyes, “I don’t want you to stop.”

“Have you ever…?” He asked, as his fingers traced the hem of my panties.

I bit my lip and shook my head, “No. You’ll be my first.”

This seemed to ignite something inside of him as his length twitched underneath me and his lips were suddenly back onto mine with a growl. I gasped which turned into a moan as his tongue delved into my mouth again. My fingers abandoned his hair to work on the buttons of his vest, only pausing when he tugged my dress over my head. Call it womanly intuition, because I had decided to put on my laciest set of matching white lace panties and bra.

“Fuck,” He groaned as he leaned back to greedily rake his eyes over my form, swiping his thumbs over the outline of my perky nipples through the lace. I swallowed a moan as I set back to work on his shirts, successfully peeling them both off. My hands smoothed over his broad and toned chest before his lips latched onto my neck as his hands worked on unhooking my bra.

I panted out moans as his tongue rolled over my scent gland and the heady arousal in his scent spiked as it permeated the air around us, mixing in with my own scent. I felt a flash of cold air hit my breasts as the bra fell away, only to be replaced by his warm mouth and hand. My slick was dripping through my panties at this point and I could feel the tickle of a drop sliding down my leg. I needed more.

“Alpha,” I whined, my fingers desperately trying to undo his pants.

He responded with a growl, nipping at my neck as he picked me up, placing me on my back on the couch and quickly moving on top of me.

“My perfect little Omega,” He praised against my neck as he slid my panties off, making me preen and bury my hands into his hair, “Tell me what you need.”

A pornographically loud moan fell past my lips as his long fingers stroked up my folds, stopping to circle around my clit. He groaned in approval as he felt how wet I was, his lips still attached to my scent gland. My mind felt hazy with pleasure, but I finally found the words.

“Your cock, Alpha” I gasped as a single finger dipped into my pussy, beginning to thrust in and out slowly as I clung to him, “N – need your knot, please.”

I had no idea what a knot actually felt like, but in that moment, I knew I desperately wanted it. He was lighting my body on fire and only he could put it out. I whimpered as he sat up, but saw how he frantically kicked off his shoes and quickly pulled off his pants and boxers. Saliva pooled in my mouth as his length slapped against his stomach, the tip was red and already leaking precum.

He turned back to me, his eyes automatically zoning in on my glistening pussy as my legs were still parted for him. The fog temporarily lifted from my mind enough that I smirked at him, trailing my own hand down my stomach. He watched in a trance as I bit my lip with my fingers swirling over my clit, pulling another long moan from my mouth. I fought the urge to huff as it didn’t feel nearly as pleasurable as when he did it. His dark eyes followed my fingers as I raised them to my mouth, intending on giving him a show of licking them clean, but his hand darted out to catch my wrist. He plunged my wet fingers into his own mouth, his eyes slightly rolling back with a groan as he tasted me.

He withdrew them with a soft pop, “You taste as good as you smell, Love. As much as I want to eat out your sweet pussy, I’d much rather fuck you senseless right now.”

His voice was a few octaves deeper and it sent a new batch of slick dripping out of me. He lowered himself over me again, propping himself up on one elbow as he used his other hand to rub his tip over my folds. _Yes, yes, yes._ My body chanted as my lips found his neck, sucking the sensitive flesh of his gland. He slowly entered me, his tip becoming drenched in my slick. When he hit my resistance, he paused and I removed my lips from his neck to nod at him. He continued, his eyes locked onto my expression while his own expression was strained from self-control.

There was a soft flash of pain as he broke through, but it was quickly overpowered by the sheer delicious pleasure that came from his hard cock gliding against my walls. We both let out a long, breathy moan as he bottomed out and my walls instinctively clenched around him as he brushed against my g-spot.

“Fuck, Love,” He gasped out, “You’re so tight.”

Our lips found each other again as he started slowly thrusting in and out. My hips met his each time and moans tumbled from my lips as his tip kept grazing the spot that made me see stars.

“Harder, Alpha,” I panted against his lips and he responded with a growl, picking up the speed as I wrapped my legs around his waist.

“Taking me so well,” He growled out, “This sweet pussy was made for me,” He groaned, grinding his pelvis against mine, brushing against my clit and making me gasp, “Cause you’re mine. My Omega.”

“Yours,” I heard myself breath out as the pleasure was building, a coil tightening in my core that was waiting to be undone, “You feel so good. Fuck. Harder, please more.”

He suddenly sat up on his knees, slipping out of me and my pussy clenched around nothing as I looked up at him. His pupils were fully blown and his shoulders were squared, his scent was thick and the start of a knot was forming at the base of his cock. He was the picture of an Alpha.

“Present for me, Omega,” He commanded with a soft growl, swiping his tongue over his bottom lip.

_YES._ I quickly flipped myself over, getting onto my knees and placing my head down against the cushions. I arched my back so he had a full view of my throbbing, dripping core and gave my hips a little wiggle. He rumbled in approval before swiftly entering me again, gripping my hips and pulling me against him to meet every brutal thrust. The new position made me cry out in pleasure and the coil was tightening again quickly, almost painfully so.

“’M close,” I panted out.

He grabbed my shoulder and made me sit up, pressing my back against his chest as he wrapped an arm around my waist to thrust up into me. I leaned my head over, baring my neck to him which he licked and nipped as his free hand slid to my clit.

“Gonna be a good girl and cum all over my hard cock?” His gravelly voice was like honey to my ears as he circled my clit with his middle finger, “I’m gonna give you my knot, gonna fill you up.”

His words and movements sent me over the edge. I vaguely heard myself let out a scream as white hot pleasure shot through me as the coil exploded. My pussy frantically clenched and convulsed around his cock, trying to milk the cum out of him.

“Ah, Fu – ck, “ His broken groan reached my ears as his knot popped, locking him deep inside my pussy as he painted my walls with ropes of cum. His teeth bit down into the soft flesh of my shoulder, right next to my gland. My head was swimming and when I finally came down from my high, I realized that he had shifted us so we were laying down on the couch on our sides, his knot still stuck and pulsing inside of me. He cuddled into my back, wrapping an arm around my waist.

“Holy shit,” He breathed out, his thumb rubbing soothing circles into my stomach.

I breathed out a chuckle, “I agree.”

I turned my head so I could look at him and bit my lip at his wrecked appearance. His hair looked like it had been caught in a windstorm and parts of it cling to his sweaty forehead. His pupils had shrunken slightly, and his lips were swollen from kissing me. His gaze locked onto mine and his expression softened, an emotion flashing through his features that I automatically attributed to an after-sex high.

“So, you’re mine, huh?” His lips spread into a smug grin as he arched an eyebrow.

I huffed, though I couldn’t wipe the grin off of my face and settling my head back onto the couch. _Cocky bastard._ Although, with what he’s packing, it made sense…but I’d never admit that to him. I decided to tease him a bit as my submissive Omega side was satisfied and was fading into the background.

“I dunno,” I shrugged with a smirk, “Maybe.”

He scoffed, his hold around me tightening, “Maybe? I’m literally balls deep inside you.”

I let out a laugh at how true his statement was, but responded in a firm voice, “The only way I’ll be yours is if you’re mine as well. No more asking random girls to dances, no more insane jealousy that almost ruined our relationship, no more ignoring me, and, most importantly, no more thinking that I deserve better than you.”

“Because there is no one better than you,” I reluctantly added in a softer voice, entwining my fingers with his over my stomach.

He nuzzled into the back of my neck and I could feel a goofy grin on his face.

“I can live with that,” He stated.

As the adrenaline wore off and our breathing returned to normal, I felt my body fully relax into his. His scent shifted from dripping with masculine arousal to his normal, comforting scent. Soon his breathing shifted into soft snores. As the sweat on our bodies dried, the air around us grew colder. I had no clue where either of our wands went, so I carefully released my magic to reach out and retrieve the soft throw blanket on one of the chairs near the fireplace. It billowed out and drifted over us, covering our entwined, naked bodies. It also changed the color of the fabric from a dark gray to a light maroon, but I chalked in up to the exhaustion creeping over my body.

I winced as his knot deflated and his softened cock slipped out of me, prompting a warm gush of our combined fluids out of me. I winced, reminding myself to wash the couch when I got the chance. I turned over in his arms to nuzzle into the warmth of his neck and chest. As the scent of gunpowder, cinnamon, and cedar guided my eyes to close and from sleep to creep over my senses, I felt myself purr in content. He responded unconsciously with a low croon rumbling in his chest, which sent me off into my dreams.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think so far! 
> 
> Any comments, feedback, and kudos are appreciated!

A painfully loud knock made my body jerk, which promptly landed me on the floor in front of the couch. Fred mumbled in his sleep and turned over as memories of last night came flooding back to my mind. I sat up rubbing my eyes and scrunched my nose at the scratchy rug underneath my bare ass. I pulled myself up as another impatient knock came, fumbled over to my room to grab my robe. I walked to the door as I tied the knot in the front of the robe, ready to give whoever it was on the other side a piece of my mind.

I cracked the door open, using my body to hide Fred on the couch, but rolled my eyes when I saw that it was George. He looked far too happy and had a pile of clothes in his arms. Before he could open his mouth, I grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him in, slamming the door behind him, effectively waking Fred up.

“Oi! What the fuck?!” He slurred, slowly waking up.

“Morning, Love birds,” George chirped, “Someone didn’t make it back to his bed last night,” He taunted.

George turned to me, presumably to tease me as well, but his words dried up as he finally took in my appearance. His eyes widened as his gaze travelled up my bare legs. In my hurry, I neglected to grab my soft, warm robe that went all the way to the floor and picked up my short, silky one instead. It was cute, but did nothing against the cold.

“Stop checking out my girlfriend, ya git,” Fred tossed a pillow at George’s head, snapping him out of his trance and capturing his attention.

“Girlfriend?” George’s smile returned with the addition of a pink tint to his cheeks, “You mean you actually bloody grew the balls to ask her?”

Fred smirked and opened his mouth, but I cut him off, “No jokes about balls! It’s too early for that.”

“Early?” George chuckled, “You guys slept in, we’re leaving for the train in an hour. Ginny was about to come get you, but I offered to instead to bring a change of clothes for Fred. Probably best that she doesn’t have to inhale the scent of pure sex in this room,” He grimaced, but his cheeks were still pink.

My eyes widened. With the excitement of Christmas and the Yule ball, I had forgotten about spending Christmas break at the Burrow. A wave of panic washed over me as I still needed to pack.

“An hour?” I squeaked, “Alright, you,” I pointed to Fred, “Need to get those clothes on and go take a shower. I’ll get ready and pack and meet you guys at the common room.”

I walked towards my bedroom, but Fred called out, “You know we can save water by – “

I stopped, whipped around and cut him off with a stern look, “We both know that if we get into a shower together, washing up will be the last thing on our minds. Now go,” I shooed both before frantically hopping into the shower.

I scrubbed my body down, trying to get rid of the combined scent of our sweat, my slick, and his cum off of me before I met their mother. As I exited the shower, my nerves were frazzled. _Last night I lost my virginity, gained a boyfriend, and now I’m meeting his parents by the end of the day._ I dried myself off with a spell before whipping my hair into a simple ponytail. I thought about putting the “A” sweater on again, but second guessed myself. _Would it look like I’m trying to hard to get her to like me?_

I shook my head and decided to wear one of Fred’s stolen shirts underneath the sweater. I pulled on one of my nicer pairs of jeans and my brown knee-high boots. After making sure the necklace Fred gave me sat above the neckline, I hurriedly packed a duffle bag with everything I would need before tucking my wand into my boot and walking to the common room.

“Ready?” Ginny smiled as she saw me, to which I nodded.

The common room was fairly fully as most students were staying at Hogwarts for the Christmas break. However, Ginny liked going home for the holidays and, since I was going with her, the twins decided to come as well. Apparently, their mother wanted to meet me, which added a layer of worry over my nerves.

Fred and George came walking over to us, leaving Lee and their other friends. George grabbed my bag and slung it over his shoulder.

“Ready for Christmas at the Weasleys?” He smiled and I playfully shoved him.

Fred wrapped an arm around my shoulders, his chest was almost comically puffed out. He looked back over to where Lee and Angelina stood with their friends.

“Oi! Lee,” He grabbed his friends attention and much of the other students attention as well, “Have you met my girlfriend?”

Lee’s eyebrows went up as I rolled my eyes. Ginny gasped and hid her mouth behind her hands. Soft giggles and murmurs erupted in the room. My cheeks started to burn as more attention was focused on us.

“You’re an idiot,” I shoved him away, causing more chuckles from everyone.

“Mate, you must be dreaming,” Lee shook his head.

Fred scowled, “I can tell you where I was dreaming last nigh – “

I grabbed the front of his collar and pulled his lips down onto mine. Unlike last night, I commandeered the kiss, moving our lips together and biting his lower lip before pulling away. A few hoots and cheers rang out, but I kept my hold on his collar as I gave him a stern look.

“Shut up,” I stated, throwing in a wink before releasing him. He straightened back up, blushing but with a smug smile. Ginny grabbed my arm and lead us out of the common room.

“When the hell did that happen?” She whispered to me as we walked in front of the twins.

I shrugged, “Last night,” sending her a look that promised to explain more later. She huffed and rolled her eyes, but I could tell she was happy. Whether she was happy for me or Fred or both of us, I didn’t know.

We stopped by Hagrid’s hut so I could wish him a farewell. I noticed his smile widen when he saw Fred and I holding hands, but he didn’t say anything about it. After reassuring me that both he and the creatures would be fine without me for a couple of weeks, he practically shooed us from the hut.

“Go enjoy yer holiday, ‘Thena,” He stated sternly after pulling me in for a hug, “Me and Fang will hold down the fort while yer gone. You deserve a break anyhows.”

We finally made it to the train, which was a new experience for me. I had come to Hogwarts by the Floo fireplace in Dumbledore’s office, but the others seemed familiar with navigating the cramped hallways and compartments of the train. We easily found an empty compartment to occupy. Ginny sat by the window with George on the other side of her and Fred and I sat opposite from them. I laid my back against the wall that the compartment door was on, draping my legs over Fred’s lap and watched the scenery out the window.

“So are you going to tell Mum of your…unholy union?” George grinned at us, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Unholy?” I snickered.

“Well yeah, you’re Hogwarts Staff and he’s a student. Quite scandalous.”

Ginny shot him a glare, “They’re the same age. You make it sound like she’s as old as McGonagall.”

Fred scrunched his face in disgust, “That’s not a pleasant image.”

I slapped his chest and, in my best McGonagall impression, said, “Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr. Weasley.”

Ginny and George laughed, while Fred groaned, letting his head fall back onto the seat. Fred and George began chatting about the sales from their products that week and spit-balling ideas for new ones. Ginny and I began playing catch with a crumpled up Daily Prophet we found on the floor.

“Hang on,” George suddenly perked up, directing his attention to me as if he had just thought of something, “You can do magic outside of school, can’t you? I mean, you aren’t a student so you can’t get expelled.”

Fred’s face lit up, “You can apparate us around! We can scare the shit out of Mum and Dad.”

My eyes widened for a moment as a bit of panic fluttered in my chest. I couldn’t apparate through regular magic and I didn’t even know how I apparated through Old Magic. The incident at the bar was my first experience with it. As their gazes were fixed on me, awaiting a response, I was quickly crafting an excuse, but thankfully, Ginny chimed in.

“Do you have a license to apparate?” She asked in a curious tone.

“No,” I responded a little too quickly, but recovered, “And it’s probably not the best idea to illegally apparate in front of someone who works at the Ministry.”

Fred scoffed, “He works in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts, I doubt he’ll hand you out a fine.”

“Let’s not make her into a criminal on her first visit to our home,” Ginny stated sternly.

The boys looked at each other with a grin, before responding in sync, “ _So next visit then._ ”

I rolled my eyes and played with Fred’s hand in my lap, “So what does your family do for Christmas?”

Ginny smiled, “Mum decorates the house and cooks a huge Christmas meal.”

The twins nodded and started listing things themselves.

George added, “Open up gifts.”

“Drink eggnog and hot chocolate,” Fred stated.

“Drink _spiked_ eggnog and hot chocolate,” George grinned wickedly.

Ginny snorted, “I can’t believe you two got away with that last year.”

I was smiling, content in watching the memories of their past holidays play behind their eyes, when Ginny drew her attention back onto me.

“What did you and your Uncle do?”

I chewed on my inner cheek as I tried to recall if we did anything for holidays. With a shrug, I settled on messing with them.

“Well,” I sighed, “We usually sacrificed a few innocent souls and practiced Dark Magic on Muggle carolers.”

Ginny rolled her eyes, but the twins seemed a bit uncertain whether I was joking or not. I caught Fred’s eye and stuck out my tongue at him, to which the uncertainty dropped from his face and he grinned.

“We didn’t do anything,” I confessed, “I don’t think we celebrated any holiday. Every day was pretty much the same.”

“That’s depressing,” George mumbled, earning a kick from Ginny.

I chuckled, dropping my legs from Fred’s lap to lean against him. He automatically wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him. I hummed in content as his scent washed over me.

“I remember Christmas with my parents used to be fun,” I confessed softly, “We had the biggest tree in the living room and Dad used to put a little tree in my room so I could fall asleep to the twinkling lights. And I remember Mom used to fix chocolate gravy every Christmas morning.”

“Chocolate gravy?” Ginny arched an eyebrow.

“No wonder Americans are all obese,” Fred mumbled, earning an elbow to the stomach.

“It’s not as sweet as it sounds,” I explained, “It’s made with cocoa powder, so it just has a chocolate flavor.”

“Well this holiday, you’re an honorary Weasley,” Ginny declared, “You’ll get the full Christmas experience.”

I smiled at this, snuggling closer to Fred. He responded by pressing his lips to my forehead, prompting me to look up to catch his lips onto mine. He grinned into the soft, sweet kiss. We parted at the sound of George dramatically gagging at the sight of us. The rest of the ride was spent chatting between us. With them in regular clothes and out of their school uniforms, it felt like I belonged a bit more. I also couldn’t ignore how smitten I felt towards Fred. _Who would have ever thought I would be smitten?_

Memories of his skin and lips against mine flashed through my mind and the thought of how his eyes darkened and his voice dropped, sent tingles through my core. I crossed my legs and tried to push those thoughts away for later. But I couldn’t help but wonder if I would be able to get him alone during the break.

“Are you wearing my shirt?” His voice cut through my thoughts as he leaned done to whisper in my ear. I glanced up to see Ginny and George deep in some sort of debate before looking done to see that the sleeve of my sweater had ridden up slightly, exposing the cuff of his shirt. A slight smirk pulled at my lips.

“No,” I whispered back, turning to look at him with the biggest doe eyes I could manage, “Of course not.”

His eyes gleamed and his tongue darted out to lick his lips before my attention was directed back to the cuff as he smoothed his thumb over a small hole, “That is where an early version of our Whiz-bangs burned through the material. This _is_ my shirt, you little Minx.”

I bit my lip to keep from giggling, “I think you’re mistaken. See, I found this shirt and now I’m wearing it, so it’s mine.”

His soft growl tickled my ear and I had to bit the inside of my lip to keep from yelping in surprise as he nipped my ear, “That’s not fair. I bet you’d be so sexy wearing just my shirt.”

I grinned wickedly, “Well, try not to imagine it, Darling. We _are_ a few feet away from your siblings.”

He groaned and huffed, “It’s your fault.”

I opened my mouth to reply, but George’s voice cut in, “Oi! Keep it in your pants, we’re almost there.”

I snickered as Fred shot a cold glare at his brother, shifting my legs back over his lap to cover up his semi-hard cock. George shot him back a look that said he knew exactly why he needed my legs there.

Ginny cleared her throat, “Well, I’m going to the bathroom before we get there.”

She stood up and, not so subtly, gestured for George to do the same.

“I don’t have to go,” He shrugged, to which Ginny let out an exasperated sigh.

“We’re pulling into the station in about 5 minutes. Let’s give them some time for themselves before we spend two weeks under the near constant supervision of Mum. You think she’s going to let Fred alone with an unmated Omega for even a second?”

George smirked, “Not my problem.”

I turned to Fred, a mischievous smile on my lips, “Sounds like he wants to watch.”

My expression and tone of voice all showed that I was joking, but a surprising mixture of emotions ran through his face before he shrugged and pulled me on top of him as I laughed.

“Ugh,” George abruptly stood up, “I’m going, I’m going. Not in front of the children!”

I heard him usher Ginny out and shifted so I straddled Fred’s lap. Instantly, my fingers threaded through his hair and I pulled his lips against mine. Our mouths moved frantically against each other, his tongue dancing against mine as a needy moan escaped my lips.

With a growl, he unbuttoned my jeans and I helped him slide them off, dropping them to the floor. I unbuttoned his pants, reaching into his boxers to expose his hot length. The moment my fingers wrapped around his hard flesh, he groaned and thrusted up into my grip. My panties were already damp with my slick as my body vibrated with need. He panted as he pulled my panties to the side, helping me line his cock up so the tip of it nestled into my slick hole.

My mouth fell into a silent moan as I sunk down on him, taking him in until my hips met his. He groaned, gripping my hips tight.

“Ah, fuck,” He groaned, his voice husky and strained, “So fucking tight around me, Omega.”

With the last ounce of my logical mind left, I reminded him, “We only have 5 minutes. So no knot this time.” To which he reluctantly nodded.

I panted out moans as I started to ride him, plunging from the base of his cock to the tip over and over. His muscly forearms came in handy as he used his grip on my hips to guide my movements, impaling me harder and harder on his cock as he thrusted up to meet me. I gasped as he felt impossibly deep inside me, grazing my soft spot with each stroke and bringing me closer and closer to the edge.

“Fuck, that’s it,” He rasped, watching his cock disappear into my pussy with darkened and half-lidded eyes, “Ride my cock, Love. Can feel you squeezing me already.”

“You’re so deep, Alpha,” I moaned out in bliss, my voice getting more desperate as my peak got closer.

He grabbed my legs as he stood up, slamming my back against the door. He trusted wildly into me, desperately chasing both of our releases.

He groaned and slipped a hand down to circle his thumb around my swollen clit, “Cum for me princess. Cum for your Alpha.”

My vision flashed white as I was thrown into pure ecstasy. My entire body spasmed, tightening around him as my pussy clenched down hard around him. With a broken moan, he found his release with me and powerful aftershocks flooded my system as I felt his cock twitch violently inside of me as his cum filled me. Our lips found each other again as we both came down from our highs.

He slipped out of me, thankfully he had refrained from knotting me, and he set me down gently on the seat. I tried to snap myself out of the post-sex daze by fixing my hair and pulling on my jeans. I noticed the large wet spot on the front of his pants and whipped out my wand to cast a cleaning and drying spell over both of us.

The train pulled into the station and Fred took my hand as we jogged to catch up with the others as we giggled between ourselves. I noticed that all of the compartments around us were empty – in fact, the whole train was mainly empty – and I thanked whatever guardian angel I had since we weren’t exactly quiet.

“Done with your sinning?” George grinned as we joined them.

“Yes, Father George,” I bowed my head at him, earning chuckles from Ginny and Fred, leaving George with a pink tint to his cheeks. I pulled him into a hug, and he relaxed, ruffling my ponytail.

We stepped out onto the platform, my arm linked with Ginny’s, and I tried not to look like I was on the cusp of panicking. I heard Mrs. Weasley before I saw her.

“Oh! There they are!”

My gaze snapped to where her voice was and was met with a short, red-haired woman who was brightly smiling and waving. I recognized her from the photos Ginny’s shown me. Her hair frizzy but was pulled into a bun. Her knitted shawl was tightly wrapped around her as the wind picked up. Their dad was standing beside her, dressed in a brown suit with a gray coat on as well.

At the sight of them, Ginny surged forward, pulling me with her and making me yelp in surprise. When we were arms length away from them, she released her grip on me as her mother enveloped her in a hug. I straightened my posture and clasped my hands in front of me.

“Oh, my sweet Ginny,” Mrs. Weasley muttered, seeming to hug the life out of her.

“Arthur Weasley,” Their dad offered me a warm smile and his hand, which I politely shook and nodded.

“Athena Wardwell,” I automatically replied, “Nice to meet you.”

“We have the same initials,” He stated brightly, causing me to chuckle a bit.

“Oh! Athena!” Mrs. Weasley suddenly dropped Ginny aside to take my hands in her warm ones. Her smile never left her face as she scanned me, seemingly in an appraisal. It didn’t feel malicious though, not in the way that Uncle would with a sneer on his face. It seemed…motherly.

“I’m so glad the sweater fit,” She pulled me into a hug as well and my body tensed up. She was an Omega, like me, and her warm scent of honeydew and spices enveloped me. It felt oddly familiar and comforting. I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her back before a voice called out.

“Oi! Mum, I think she’s gonna need to breathe soon,” Fred’s teasing voice made the corners of my lip turn upwards as I was promptly released.

I turned back to look at them and saw George whisper something into Fred’s ear, which made Fred thump the back of his head. By the looks of George’s smirk and Fred’s blush, it probably wasn’t family friendly. I made eye contact with George and arched my brow as if to say _you’re gonna be doing that the whole break, aren’t you?_ To which he nodded and winked, making me smile and Fred to roll his eyes.

Fred suddenly cleared his throat, stepping up to stand beside me and gaining the attention from his parents who were asking Ginny about school.

“Mum, Dad,” He placed an arm around my shoulders and straightened his back, “Meet my girlfriend, Miss Athena Eleonora Wardwell.”

I cringed at his use of my middle name. _Why did I tell him what my middle name is?_ Memories of an exciting game of truth or truth (there was no way in hell was I going to take dares from the twins) with him, George, Harry, and Ron emerged from my mind. In that same game, I learned that George received his first blow job from Angelina, that Harry apparently didn’t use the invisibility cloak for dirty purposes – of which no one believed him – and that Ron would rather snog MaGonagall than have a spider crawl on him.

Mrs. Weasley’s eyebrows shot up at the word, girlfriend and Mr. Weasley looked a bit bewildered. He looked from me to Fred to his wife, then back to me.

“How on Earth did you manage that?” His words seem to tumble out of his mouth before he could stop them, and they earned him a thump from Mrs. Weasley. Meanwhile, both Ginny and George were laughing. Fred huffed and tightened his grip on me.

“Arthur!” Mrs. Weasley scolded, before turning to me, “It’s lovely to meet you Dear. I’ve heard so many things about you from Ginny and I can’t thank you enough for your influence on the boys.”

Mr. Weasley chimed in, “Right. It’s nice not having an angry letter from the school every week, listing how many classes these two have skipped.”

“It’s nice meeting you as well, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Thank you for taking me in this Christmas break.”

Mrs. Weasley waved her hand, “Nonsense, call me Molly, Darling. Let’s get you lot in the car and get home, shall we?”

…

The Burrow was better than I could have imagined. It was the most unique looking house I’d ever seen and certainly an architectural feat. The land it sat on was beautiful with a light dusting of snow and I spotted a pond nearby. We piled out of the car and while Arthur and the boys fussed with the luggage, Molly and Ginny led me inside.

The Burrow was cluttered, but homely and the atmosphere was warm and comfortable. The floor creaked underneath everyone’s feet, soft clatters came from the sink where dishes were washing themselves, a fire was crackling in the fireplace. It was everything I imagined a home to be. A pang of envy shot through me, but I quickly pushed it away and followed Ginny up the stairs to her room.

“So,” She smirked as she flopped down onto her bed, “You and Fred?”

I bit back a smile as my cheeks warmed up, flopping down beside her. She propped herself up on an elbow to look at me, chuckling at my blush.

“He disappeared like half-way through the Yule Ball. What happened?”

I bit the inside of my lip and arched an eyebrow, “Are you sure you want to know?”

Her eyes went comically wide, “You didn’t! Holy shit. Did you?”

I covered my mouth to stifle my laughter at her expression, but nodded as I felt my face get more red. She burst out in giggles as well, her expression still shocked.

Concern suddenly filled her eyes, “Wait. He didn’t mark you did he? I know it wouldn’t take in Hogwarts, but still.”

I shook my head and pulled the collar of my sweater back so she can see his bite mark beside my mating gland, “No, either he had enough sense not to or his aim is horrible.”

We both laughed again, and I recounted what happened that night, leaving the sordid details out as we were still talking about her brother. She told me all about the Yule Ball and I was glad she had a good time with Neville.

“What about George? Did he have a good time with Angelina?”

She thought for a moment before nodding, “I think so. I didn’t see them dancing, but I’m sure they did. Why?”

I shrugged, not really knowing the answer, “Just curious.”

Molly’s voice echoed through the house, calling us down for lunch. As soon as my feet hit the landing, Fred scooped me up in a hug as if he hadn’t seen me for weeks. George rolled his eyes, but grinned when I stuck my tongue out at him.

“What do you think?” Fred asked softly as he set me down, his arms still around my waist.

I smiled and admitted, “I’m jealous that you got to grow up here. Your parents seem wonderful.”

He gave me a lopsided grin and looked relieved. He knew I grew up in basically a small castle. My family certainly never had to worry about money, but I don’t think he realizes that I would trade every cent I had for a place like this. A home.

We sat around the table with the twins on either side of me, Molly and Ginny across the table, and Arthur at the head. There was far more food than I had ever had for a lunch, it seemed more like a banquet or feast. Molly asked everyone about school and me about work. She seemed delighted that I met Charlie as well. The conversation soon turned more towards me since I was new.

“Your uncle’s death certainly caused a stir, even across the pond at the Ministry,” Arthur stated in between bites, “I’m just glad he didn’t take you down with him.”

My body froze for a moment at the mention of my uncle, but I willed myself to act normal and focused on bringing a forkful of mashed potatoes to my mouth. I nodded in agreement while chewing, hoping that it would move the conversation along.

George cleared his throat and glanced at me before asking, “How did he die? I – I mean there’s loads of stories, but none of them seem true.”

Another forkful of food was shoved into my mouth. _If I keep my mouth full, I won’t have to talk._ It wasn’t the best tactic, but it was the only one I could come up with. Arthur, however, seemed unaware of my growing unease as he answered almost matter-of-factly.

“Dark, peculiar magic. A giant blast of it took him out. It’s what alerted the Aurors to his manor. They found loads of odd artifacts, dating back to the Salem Trials, and heaps of journals, which were basically the ravings of a mad man,” He gestured to me with his fork, “And of course, they found Athena here locked up in the basement clinging to – “

Molly whacked him over the shoulder with a wooden spoon that came from one of the dishes. She, not so subtly, nodded to me with her head and gave him a warning glare. Realization dawned on him and he gave a small, sheepish and apologetic smile my way.

Ginny, thankfully, took over the conversation and steered it to Quidditch instead. My magic buzzed loudly in my mind, muffling all other voices. I stood up from the table, muttering an excuse and something about going for a walk outside. Molly nodding in understanding and, with a flick of her wand, sent my dishes into the kitchen. Fred gave me a concerned look, but I shook my head and tried to give him a reassuring smile.

As soon as I was outside, I felt the buzzing lift slightly as the fresh air lazily breezed around me. The sun was warm even though the air was cold and I took the hairband out of my hair so it fell on either side of my neck, encasing some warmth. I walked through the barren garden, reaching out to touch a few dead vines with my fingertips and tried to imagine what it would look like in the height of summer.

I trekked up the small hill behind the house, before changing my mind and heading towards the pond instead. I sat down on a large rock at the water’s edge, hugging my knees to my chest. _Locked up in the basement clinging to -._ I sighed, tightening my grip around myself as my body grew colder at the memories flashing through my mind.

_It was cold. The basement was always so cold in the winter. I huddled underneath my blanket on the small cot, resting my back against the stone wall. The torches that lined the walls mocked me, flaunting their warmth, but they were all too far away for me to feel their heat. My eyes dropped to my ankle, following the chain from it’s shackle around it to where it was connected to the wall. It was only long enough for me to pace a few feet from my cot, which I often did._

_The torches casted eerie shadows on the wall which danced when a draft blew through. There was usually another source of light, a small, barred window on the top of the wall across from me, but it was covered with the snowfall that fell overnight. That window was the only blessing I had, as it gave me sunlight and the chance to see my friends. I snorted lightly at the notion of me having friends, but it was the only way I could describe the small family of rabbits that frequented the window._

_I wondered how they were doing this winter. The baby, Cinnamon, should be old enough and big enough to survive the cold now. Last I saw them, they were stocking up on food. Against my better judgment, and with a hesitant glance at the stairs leading to the basement door, I reached out a hand to the window. I relaxed my hold on my magic and, in my weakened state, only a small tendril of blue wisped out of my fingertips. It was enough to travel to the glass, phasing though to melt the snow against the other side._

_My mouth twitched into a smile as sunlight now streamed in. I wish I could help the rabbits, but I barely got enough food to keep me functioning. Uncle has been slowly getting more and more cruel…more unhinged. I grimaced at the thought of things getting worse. I sat there, looking out of the window, hoping to see a bit of brown fur hopping up to the pane. The sun was slowly starting to set._

_The basement door slammed open, causing me to flinch and wrap the blanket around me tighter. His footsteps stomped down the stairs in a pattern that I recognized. He was pissed. My chain started to lightly rattle as my body shook. I clasped my hands together in order to try and stop the shaking._

_I swallowed as I heard his boots hit the basement floor and kept my gaze trained on the ground in front of the cot as he strode over to me slowly. He handed me a small plate of food, which I gratefully took with a small thank you. I made the mistake of glancing up at him and got the brunt of his icy glare. His brown eyes looked black and his bearded jaw was set as his expression was that of disgust and anger. My attention snapped back to the food and I tentatively took a bite of the stale bread._

_“Athena, Darling?” His soft words did not match his expression or his bitter scent of iron and charred wood. It was unsettling enough for the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up._

_“Yes, Uncle?” I replied in a far stronger voice than I anticipated. I looked up at him, my jaw clenched tight._

_His lips stretched over his teeth in a fake smile, “I’ll be having guests over tomorrow and they want to see a demonstration of your power. I can count on you not to disappoint me, right?”_

_I inwardly cringed. I hated doing those demonstrations. It was often for old men with shifty eyes and wandering hands, some of them obviously Death Eaters. Uncle always said that it was necessary to gain the right connections, but the only good that came of it was some allotted time outside if I behaved well enough._

_I nodded, taking a few moments more to stare at him. This was not the man that grew up with my father…it wasn’t even the man that killed my parents. He had morphed into a shell of himself, growing gangly and slightly unkept. I often heard him muttering to himself, as if he was having a conversation with someone else._

_He seemed pleased enough with my answer, turning to walk back to the stairs when he froze. My eyes snapped up to follow his gaze to the window and my eyes grew wide. He was quiet for some time._

_“That window was covered in snow when I brought you breakfast,” His tone was calm and level, but turned the blood in my veins to ice as time seemed to slow down. He turned slowly to me, his wand already in his hand, but I didn’t dare meet his eyes._

_“Did you use your magic?”_

_Time seemed to crawl even slower as my heart dropped to my stomach. A small part of me screamed to make an excuse, to lie, to defend myself. But it was useless…the punishment for lying was far greater and I knew I wasn’t strong enough to face it._

_“Yes,” My voice was barely above a whisper._

_“CRUCIO!”_

_My body snapped backwards as a strangled scream ripped through my throat. It felt like fire rolled mercilessly through my nerves as my bones shattered and my skin tore off my muscles. My mind was blank, the pain too great for me to generate thoughts. Even the air I breathed felt like needles piercing my lungs. I didn’t know how long it lasted, I never did. In the moment, it seems to last a lifetime with no respite, no ending in sight. When my world finally fell into darkness, I hoped to never wake up._

_When my eyes cracked open, my body was laying on the hard stone floor with the upturned plate of food beside my head. I groaned as I sat up, every part of my body was sore. As I collected my bearings, I noticed that the light in the basement was dimmer. I sighed, thinking that Uncle must have covered the window with snow again._

_A short, painful gasp left my lips as I looked up though, to find that there was no longer a window. My breathing came out in pants as panic spread throughout my body. I looked at the other walls, praying that perhaps I was looking at the wrong one, but I wasn’t. I scrambled to my feet, walking forward to where it used to be, but almost fell over when I reached the end of my chain. With a grunt, I sent a spark of my magic to the shackle, freeing myself, as I often did when I knew Uncle was asleep._

_I rushed to the wall, smoothing my hands over the stone bricks as if to confirm what I was seeing. Uncle must have magically removed it when I was passed out. With my palms still against the stone, I leaned my forehead against the wall as my magic shook violently within my bones._

_“How could he?” I whispered to no one, “He took everything…everything from me.”_

_A short laugh escaped me, boarding on hysterical, as I realized that I was muttering to myself just like he does. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to get a handle on my magic when another laugh bubbled past my lips. Ever since I came into his care, Uncle had been helping me practice my control over my magic. I control my magic…and he controls me._

_He took away my only sliver of happiness…of hope and of sanity. My magic was clawing at the underside of my skin as I slowly turned to look at the stairs leading up. I gave another soft chuckle before surrendering control to my magic._

“You okay?” Ginny’s voice pulled me out of my memories, causing me to blink a few times before looking up at her with a small smile.

I nodded, “Yeah, of course. Just needed some fresh air.”

She looked at me skeptically before sighing and sitting down next to me. We leaned against each other for warmth.

“Dad can be an idiot,” She breathed out, “He never should have said anything. He just rambles sometimes.”

I gave a chuckle and shook my head, “It’s okay, really. I’ve come to terms with my past. I just…haven’t really told Fred much about it.”

She gave me an odd look, “You think he’d judge you for it?” She huffed out a laugh, “We can’t pick our family. And you could’ve been hatched out by a couple of Skrewts and he’d still be head over heels for you.”

I responded with a snort and rolled my eyes. Our conversation turned lighter before we both decided to go inside to warm up. As we walked back to the house, her words still rang in my mind. So many secrets littered my past, secrets that I vowed to take to my grave.

As we walked into the living room, we were greeted by the sight of the twins demonstrating some of their newer products for their father. Fred’s eyes locked onto mine and he gave a wide smile at the sight of me. His chest slightly puffed up with pride as his brown eyes had that familiar gleam to them.

I returned his smile and decided to wait a little longer before burdening him with my past.


End file.
